Winter's Night
by Demon Girl17
Summary: Rated for Violence and Language. Inuyasha and Kagome know that they love each other, they just haven't said it aloud. When Kagome invites Inuyasha to her time for a night, will they finally show and tell eachother how they feel?
1. Invitation

It's winter. There's lots of snow here. So I decided to write a fic. Please r & r.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
/ thoughts /  
  
Winter's Night Chap 1  
  
A light snow fell from the sky, landing on the ground in big fluffy clumps. It seemed to create a white blanket that covered every inch of the once green ground. Inuyasha sat in the bare branches of the Goshinboku Tree, staring up in childish awe at the snowflakes falling around him. He felt something cold and looked at his nose to see a small drop of water that had melted from a snowflake. He blinked and then stared back off at the show of glittering white that fell from the sky, blending in with everything around him. He continued to stare when a sweet scent found its way to his sensitive nose.  
  
He knew who it was and decided to ignore them just to see what they'd do. He soon became lost again in the snow when he felt something hit him in the back of the head. The force knocked him off balance causing him to fall off the branch he had been sitting on and plummet to the snow covered ground below. He felt the urge to turn around and yell at her, but her giggling drifted to his ears and he stopped. She was giggling. He smiled to himself. Ever since a few days ago they had been growing closer and now he didn't have the heart to yell. He sat up and noticed that she had moved near him. She was still giggling and looked beautiful to him.  
  
"Sorry Inuyasha, I didn't expect that to happen." She said trying to hold back her giggles.  
  
"Feh." He replied, crossing his legs and putting his hands in his sleeves across his chest. Kagome giggled and patted his head. Inuyasha sighed but was suddenly startled when he felt Kagome gently begin to rub his ears. He became lost in her soft touch and the sensation that he was feeling that he didn't realize that he was emitting a soft gentle growl, almost like a purring sound.  
  
"Kawaii!" Kagome giggled pulling him from his contentment. "I always thought that you'd like having your ears rubbed."  
  
Inuyasha blushed with embarrassment but felt himself nod slowly. He glues his eyes to the ground, but soon Kagome pulled his face up by his chin, making him look at her. She smiled and their eyes met. He stared deeply into her dark gentle eyes, as she became lost in his golden ones that held so many secrets.  
  
They both snapped out of it when they realized what they were doing and how close they had gotten. Their noses were just inches from each other when they had pulled back, increasing the gap between them once again. A faint blush hinted at both their cheeks as they both found the ground very interesting at the moment.  
  
"Umm... Inuyasha?" Kagome asked breaking the silence.  
  
"Yeah...?"  
  
Kagome fidgeted a bit. "W-Would you come to my time for a night or two? It would be a break from shard hunting and give us some time to relax a bit."  
  
Inuyasha didn't know what to say. Kagome noticed the silence and frowned to herself. /Should've known. Now he's going to say something like 'Hell no wench, the shards are too important. We can't take a break!' Why' I even bother?/  
  
"Uh... Kagome? Sure we can go."  
  
Kagome's eyes widened and she stared at him in shock. Had she heard him right?  
  
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Did he do something wrong?  
  
"Ka-Kagome?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
"Did you just say... yes?" She asked coming out of her shock.  
  
Inuyasha nodded and Kagome suddenly jumped at him, knocking them both into the snow by hugging him. Inuyasha blinked a few times and a blush crept its way onto the hanyou's cheeks.  
  
"Thank you Inuyasha!" Kagome said cheerfully. Inuyasha just smiled and hugged her back. If she was happy he was happy. After all, she would soon be his.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well what do you think? Continue, yes or no? Please review~! 


	2. Leaving

O.O Wow, so many reviews for the first chapter. Dang. Thank you to DrakeDragon,SoulSurviver who was the first reviewer. Also thanks to LuneTigre(), Lil Shaman Girl, Chibi Senshi of Saturn, lynn(), eddie4, Crystal(), The Queen Of Randomness, blackbeltkatie(), Kioko Hakuro, inuyashasgirl(), ranichan, DarkAnimeChick, insomni-maniac, Battousi Girl, Kagome503, Maffeoel, tashy911, Hekele Masuyo, and last but not least Writer of Light. Wow, that's a lot of people. THANK YOU!! Anyway... about this chapter. I typed it, and went to save it, but my comp performed and 'illegal operation' and deleted it. I typed it up again after that, so I hope it still sounds ok. Also DarkAnimeChick, the reason he says that is because he's planning to make her his. Confusing ne? Ok enough of this, on with the chapter!  
  
/ thoughts /  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.  
  
Winter's Night Chap 2  
  
Kagome lead Inuyasha back towards the village. She glanced back at the inu hanyou and noticed he had a serious, but thoughtful expression on his face. / I wonder what he's thinking about... /  
  
Inuyasha walked behind Kagome. He was thinking about so many different things that he didn't notice the tree in front of him. SMACK Inuyasha met the tree. Kagome heard the noise and turned around to see him lying in the snow, rubbing his head and muttering some thing that sounded like it was about damn trees popping out of no where. Kagome giggled a little but stopped when she noticed the glare he was sending her. She walked over to him and crouched down next to him as he continued to rub his head and curse.  
  
"You know, you should really watch where you're going. If you had been, you would've seen that tree walk out in front of you."  
  
"Shut up." Inuyasha growled slightly.  
  
"Oh come on, you have to admit it was kind of funny. I mean you're great in fights and can easily dodge things, but when it comes to walking, you can't dodge a tree, and trees are stationary."  
  
"Feh."  
  
Kagome sighed and stood up, dusting off her jeans. She turned and walked off towards the village again, leaving Inuyasha to sulk on his own in the snow. Inuyasha sighed and got up. He kicked the tree causing it to tip over some, and then ran after Kagome.  
  
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~  
  
At the village, everyone was doing something. The village men were cutting firewood and clearing snow off the roofs of their huts and the women were clearing snow away from the doors with brooms. The children of the village were out in the fields, laughing as they tackled each other in the snow. Kagome smiled and remembered how she used to play in the snow when she was little with Souta and her mom. Suddenly something flew at Kagome, hitting her in the stomach and knocking her backwards into Inuyasha, who caught her. She blinked and looked down at the little ball of fluff now in her arms.  
  
"Kagome you didn't leave!" Shippo cried, hugging her. Kagome smiled and stroked his tail.  
  
"Why would I leave Shippo?"  
  
"Because you went to see Inuyasha and usually you two fight. He says something mean that makes you cry and then you run home. He always yells and gets mad at you, making you get sad and go home for a few days."  
  
Inuyasha growled and bopped Shippo on the head. Shippo began to cry and Kagome hugged him tighter to comfort him.  
  
"Inuyasha..." Kagome said calmly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"OSUWARI!"  
  
And for the third time that day, Inuyasha met the snow. Inuyasha growled and lifted his head from the snow to stare at her.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
"You shouldn't hit Shippo." Kagome replied shortly. She turned and walked off into Kaede's hut with Shippo still in her arms. Inuyasha sighed and got up once the spell wore off. He shook the snow off of himself and followed Kagome into the hag's hut.  
  
Inside the hut, Kaede was making stew, Kagome was packing with Shippo watching, Sango looked pissed off, and Miroku was lying on the floor, twitching with a big red hand mark on his cheek. Inuyasha shook his head at the monk's stupidity. / You'd think that after getting hit so much, he'd learn to stop. I'm beginning to think he enjoys the pain. / he thought as he sat down in his usual position by the door.  
  
"Kagome, what're you doing?" Sango asked, ignoring the slowly waking monk beside her.  
  
"I'm packing my stuff. I'm leaving and going to my time for the night with Inuyasha."  
  
"WHAT?!" Shippo cried. "But I thought you said you weren't leaving!" Kagome walked over to the little kitsune and hugged him.  
  
"I'm sorry Shippo, but I have to go home and re-supply. Plus I want to see my family and I haven't been home in over a week."  
  
"But why does he get to go?" Shippo asked pointing at Inuyasha, sounding very annoyed. Inuyasha growled at him and Shippo huddled closer to Kagome.  
  
"He gets to go because I invited him. Also my... uh, little brother wants to see him." Kagome quickly lied a little. She didn't want to lie to him, but she didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about why Inuyasha was going along.  
  
"Ok..." Shippo sniffled as he let go of Kagome and sat by Kirara near the small fire burning in the hut. Kagome smiled sadly before picking up her pack. Inuyasha saw her and rose to his feet and walked outside. Kagome watched him and then walked over to Shippo and patted his head.  
  
"I'll be back tomorrow, ok? So don't be sad."  
  
"I won't." He said, wiping his eyes and smiling up at her. Kagome smiled back and walked to the door.  
  
"Bye everyone, see you all tomorrow!"  
  
"Bye Kagome, have fun!" Sango told her friend.  
  
"Yeah, and don't make too much love with Inuyasha while you're gone, especially if you have a little brother in the house!" Miroku said.  
  
Kagome blushed and heard a loud thud. She looked and saw Sango standing over Miroku with Hiraikotsu raised while Miroku was lying unconscious on the floor, a big bump on his head. Kagome smiled thankfully at Sango.  
  
"Bye Sango, keep him out of trouble!" She called as she walked out the door. She looked around and saw Inuyasha already at the edge of the village, leaning against a tree. / Well at least he didn't he Miroku's comment or else Miroku would be dead right now. / Kagome thought as she walked over to him. Inuyasha saw her coming and stood up straight, stretching a little bit.  
  
"You ready to go?" he asked her once she reached him.  
  
"Yeah, let's go."  
  
With that the two walked off into the forest, towards the ancient Bone Eater's Well, as the snow began to fall a little quicker.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well there you have it, the second chapter. Please review to let me know how it is.  
  
Arigato.  
  
Ja ne~! 


	3. What?

Hey minna-san! Thanks for the reviews, not as many as the first chapter but I still appreciate them all! ^ ^ Anyway, here's another update, sorry it took so long.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.  
  
/ thoughts /  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 3  
  
Inuyasha picked up Kagome and hopped out of the well. Once out, he set her down so she could walk on her own. He looked around the well house. It was dark and didn't have any new scents in it except for his and Kagome's. Suddenly a bright light came to his eyes and he squinted from its intensity. He looked over towards its source to see Kagome standing at the entrance to the well house with the doors wide open. He noticed her shiver slightly, so he took off his haori and placed it over her head and shoulders. Kagome felt the fabric on her and looked at him curiously.  
  
"Thank you." She smiled at him.  
  
"Feh, your welcome."  
  
Kagome didn't let her smile waver at his response. She knew what he meant by it. Then she frowned and took another look over him. He was only wearing his fire rat pants and the white under kimono. Inuyasha noticed her frowning at him and narrowed his eyes confused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Aren't you going to be cold?" Kagome asked the frown not leaving her face.  
  
"I'm a hanyou." Inuyasha sighed. "The cold doesn't affect me like it does humans because of my demon blood."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Inuyasha saw her frown slowly disappear so he walked passed her and looked outside. He blinked a few times at what was before him. There was a lot more snow then what was in the feudal era. He flattened his ears when he heard a very loud annoying noise. He looked to see a man wrapped up in a lot of clothes, pushing a big melt thing that seemed to be shooting snow and leaving a clear path behind it.  
  
"What the hell is that?" Inuyasha asked confused and annoyed at how loud it was. He had to move his hands up to his ears to keep at least some of the noise out. Kagome looked at him funny and then realization dawned on her. She ran through the snow and over to the guy. Inuyasha watched her and saw the guy do something to the machine. Suddenly the noise stopped and he saw the man pushing the metal thing away. Kagome ran back over to him and he was twitching his ears a lot to get the slight ringing sound to go away.  
  
"What did you do?" he asked her once she reached him.  
  
"I asked him if he could turn it off and leave because my family had some company."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Suddenly a white thing flew at Inuyasha, but he caught it before it hit him. He looked down at it and realized it was a snowball. "What the hell?"  
  
"Inuyasha!"  
  
There was a blur and the next thing Inuyasha knew was that he was once again on the ground in the snow. He growled a little and tried pulled what had hit him off. He sniffed the air a few times and sighed.  
  
"Hey kid."  
  
"Inuyasha what are you doing here? Why did you come back with my sister? How long are you staying?" Souta asked sounding very much like a certain kitsune at the moment. Inuyasha put his hand over Souta's mouth and sighed again.  
  
"Your sister asked me to come here with her and stay the night to try and relax." Inuyasha told him.  
  
Souta nodded and Inuyasha released his mouth. Souta grabbed Inuyasha's arm and pulled on it.  
  
"Come on, my mom will want to know that you're here and that Kagome is back."  
  
Inuyasha nodded and got up, brushing the snow off himself. Kagome took his hand and led him to the house, while Souta had a death grip on his other arm, also pulling him towards the house. Inuyasha sighed. / Why me? /  
  
+!+!+!+!+!+!+!+!+!+!+!+!+!+!  
  
Once inside the house, Souta ran upstairs to his room, while Kagome led Inuyasha to the kitchen to find her mother. They found Mrs. Higurashi cooking what appeared to be fish and rice. She also had some sashimi on a plate and tea placed on the table. Inuyasha sniffed the air and his mouth watered a little. He hadn't eaten anything since the night before when Kaede had some stew for everyone. It was nice of her to cook for everyone and all, but her food wasn't of the best quality.  
  
"Hi mom, I'm back." Kagome said walking into the kitchen.  
  
"Kagome! I'm so glad you're back, it's been a week since you last came home." Mrs. Higurashi said as she turned around. She wiped her hands on her apron and hugged Kagome. She then noticed a very curious looking Inuyasha standing in the doorway. She smiled.  
  
"It good to see you Inuyasha. Will you be staying for lunch?" She asked him, letting go of her daughter.  
  
"Actually mom, I was hoping he could spend the night here. A lot had been going on in the feudal era, so I though it might be good for him to spend one night away from it all."  
  
"Of course, he's always welcome here." Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "I better go get a futon and some blankets out for him then."  
  
"Uh, actually, I'll just sleep outside in the tree." Inuyasha said.  
  
"Nonsense, it's bitter cold out there at night. We don't want you catching cold." Mrs. Higurashi said walking up to him. She reached her hands up and tweaked his ears once, to which Inuyasha sighed slightly annoyed, before walking out of the kitchen and towards the upstairs. "Keep an eye on the food for me Kagome."  
  
"Alright mom."  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "I can't get sick you know..."  
  
"Yeah I know, but just spend the night indoors. You won't be able to get out there anyway, my mom has ways of getting her way." Kagome said checking the fish that her mom was cooking.  
  
"Feh." Inuyasha leaned against the counter. His ears twitched and he heard the front door open. Grandpa walked in and glared at Inuyasha before looking to Kagome.  
  
"Kagome dear, you're home." He said as he hugged his granddaughter. Kagome smiled and hugged him back.  
  
"Yeah but only for tonight. We're going back tomorrow." She said letting go of the old man. Just then Mrs. Higurashi came back and took over cooking lunch again.  
  
"Did you send away Mr. Ikeda?" Grandpa asked Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"No, why, did he not finish?"  
  
Kagome blinked. "Oh, uh, I sent him away Grandpa... the snow blower was too loud."  
  
Grandpa looked at Inuyasha who was currently looking around the kitchen at the different appliances and new technology. He then walked out of the room towards the living room. Kagome blinked in confusion.  
  
"Where's he going?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, just as confused as Kagome.  
  
A few minutes later Grandpa came back with two snow shovels. He handed one to Kagome and one to Inuyasha. Kagome blinked and Inuyasha looked at the weird looking orange shovel curiously.  
  
"Kagome since you sent away Mr. Ikeda, you and that demon are to go out there and shovel the rest of the walkways and the stairs." He said while going to sit down at the table.  
  
"What?" Inuyasha growled slightly. He stopped when he felt Kagome grab his arm.  
  
"Come on Inuyasha, let's go."  
  
Inuyasha sighed and followed her, but not before glaring daggers at the old man who was currently sipping his tea. / Stupid old man... / He walked after Kagome and found her getting her coat and boots on, as well as her other winter clothing. He was about to walk outside when he felt his haori be thrown over his head. He pulled it off and looked at Kagome slightly confused.  
  
"Don't want you getting cold." She smiled jokingly. He smiled slightly and put his haori on. Kagome opened the door and they both stepped outside to begin the exciting task of shoveling snow.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ok, that's it for chapter 3. I promise they will have more fun starting next chapter. I live in a place with a lot of snow, and it can be a pain, but also fun. So I'm going to try and show a little of both sides. Anyway, that's it for now. If anyone has any ideas, or things that they might want to happen, let me know and I'll try and put them in. If I don't, please don't be mad. Oh and I'll update as often as I can. It's tough with school and all, plus my rents want me to do stuff, so it gets hectic. Ok, enough rambling.  
  
Please Review! Ja ne ~! 


	4. A Little Mischief and a Romantic Moment

Oi minna-san! Another update! w00t~! I'm so proud of myself, hehe. Actually right now I think I'm supposed to be cleaning my house for my bro's birthday party later... eh heh heh... oh well. ^^; Just as long as I don't get caught. *looks around suspiciously * Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, it's great getting them and knowing people actually do like this fic! ^^ THANK YOU! I'm gonna try this chapter from Inuyasha's POV because I can't think of really any way to do it from the third person. I will try though!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 4  
  
~ Inuyasha's POV ~  
  
I followed Kagome outside into the frigid air. It had gotten considerably colder and even my demon blood was telling me it was too damn cold. I looked over at Kagome, but she didn't seem very bothered by the cold. Well how can she, she's wearing all that clothing. Let's see, she had put on two of those 'jacket' things, a pair of what she called 'snow pants', and 'boots'. She also wore a hat and a piece of cloth around her neck. I sighed and looked down at my bare feet. Yup, they were numb.  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
I snapped my head up and looked at Kagome. She was looking at me curiously and was a little close. I blinked for a moment, before crossing my arms.  
  
"What wench?"  
  
I noticed her flinch slightly at the 'nickname' that I had given her. I mentally sighed. Why did I have to say that?  
  
"Nothing, you were just spacing out. Are you ok?" I heard her ask. I nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Ok. Well, we better get to shoveling. The faster we get done, the faster we can go back inside where it's warm."  
  
I watched her begin shoveling the snow and after a few minutes, mimicked her actions. She must've heard me start shoveling because she stopped and looked at me.  
  
"What?" I asked as I stopped too and stood upright. She shook her head and went back to shoveling. I shrugged and went back to shoveling. As I threw some snow off to the side and idea popped into my head. I glanced over at Kagome and saw that she had her back to me and was shoveling another path. I smirked. This was going to be good.  
  
"Hey Kagome?" I called out as I lifted a bunch of snow onto the shovel.  
  
"Yeah?" She called back not even turning around. She just continued shoveling the snow. I grinned.  
  
"Think fast!" I yelled as I catapulted the snow on my shovel at her. I watched it hit her and she fell forward, face first in the snow. I grinned more as I saw her pick herself up off the ground. She turned to me and her body was covered in snow. I laughed at the pissed off look she was giving me.  
  
"You're gonna pay for that!" she yelled, wiping some snow from her face.  
  
"Oh, I'm real scared." I laughed out. My laughter stopped when I caught that look in her eye. Uh oh... I turned and ran a few feet. That's when she said 'it'.  
  
"SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT!"  
  
I plummeted to the snow and felt the familiar feeling of the cold snow being shoved into my face. To tell the truth, I half expected the sit command, but it still hurt some, especially when she repeated it. I growled and muttered some things, but stopped when I heard footsteps approaching. I managed to lift my head from the snow, only to have it covered again by more snow. In fact, I felt it dumped on my whole body. I shivered and tried to get up, but the spell was still holding me down. When it finally wore off, I jumped up to see Kagome laughing. I glared.  
  
"You're gonna regret that bitch." I growled softly. She stopped laughing and stared at me. I smirked and ran towards her. I heard her scream and she turned and ran from me. I chased her and was rapidly catching up. She must've noticed because she screamed again and picked up her pace.  
  
I continued to chase until I had her cornered. She was between the corner of a fence and the forest. She had two choices. Run into the forest, or try to get passed me. I didn't give her time to choose as I jumped and tackled her to the ground. I looked down at her and smirked. My hands were in the snow above her head, and I straddled her waist. I dipped my head down so that it was only inches from her face.  
  
"It's useless to run." I whispered and smirked. I noticed a slight blush on her cheeks and smiled mentally. I stared into her eyes and lowered my face closer to hers. I saw her blush deepen. Gods she was beautiful. I brought one of my hands to her face and gently brushed her bangs away from her face. Here she was, her face slightly red from the wind, but even more red from the blush on her cheeks. Her eyes were deep and I couldn't help staring into them.  
  
"Uh...Inu... Inuyasha?" she whispered. I blinked. It felt like I had been in a trance, like I was lost in her beauty. I looked at her and noticed her squirm under my look.  
  
"Kagome..." I whispered. I brought my lips down to hers and kissed her softly. I saw her eyes widen, but they soon closed as she started to kiss back. I was startled a bit, but I continued to kiss her, closing my own eyes in the process.  
  
Kissing her made me feel warm, content. I wanted more, my body, my mind, every part of me wanted more, wanted this moment to never end. It just felt so right to be kissing her, the one I loved. Yes I love Kagome, I've known for a while. I want nothing more than to make her mine forever, take her as my mate. But I can't just abandon Kikyou. Sure she's dead, but she looks too much like the Kikyou I once knew and loved. I know it's stupid, but if I made Kagome my mate, it would feel like I was kind of betraying Kikyou, again.  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
I opened my eyes and looked down at the woman below me. Kagome...  
  
"A-Are you ok?" she asked. "You stopped..." I heard her barely whisper a hint of regret in her voice. I smiled down at her.  
  
"Yeah, I'm alright." I whispered. "Sorry." I mumbled as I got off of her. I sat next to her in the snow and watched her sit up. I looked down feeling slightly ashamed at thinking about what I had been when kissing Kagome. I jumped slightly when I felt her arms around me. I blinked and looked down at her. Her head was resting against my chest and her arms were wrapped around my neck. I smiled gently at her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my lap and returning the embrace.  
  
We sat like that for I don't know how long, but I noticed the sun begin to sink lower into the sky. It would be dark in a little while and it would only get colder out. I tilted my head to the side and caught a look at Kagome's face. Her eyes were closed and she looked very relaxed. Her breathing was steady and softer. She was asleep. I smiled and gently kissed her forehead before standing up with her in my arms. I felt her shift a little as she adjusted her body and snuggled closer to me.  
  
I walked towards the front of the house when a light came from something near the door. I stopped and squinted from its brightness when I heard the door open.  
  
"Inuyasha? What happened?" I heard Kagome's mother ask me. My eyes adjusted to the light and I stepped towards her and the door.  
  
"She uh... fell in the snow. I helped her up and she... fell asleep." It was true, she had fallen in the snow and fallen asleep. She didn't need to know the rest of what happened.  
  
"Oh. Well come inside, it's too cold to just stand there." She said and she stepped out of the doorway. I walked in and she closed the door behind me. Then she lead me to the 'living room' as Kagome called it, and I set Kagome down on the 'couch' thing. Her mother then came up and took off Kagome's 'jackets' and all the other 'winter' clothing she had on. When she was done, Kagome's mom turned to me. I was covered in snow, was wet, and felt cold.  
  
"Come along Inuyasha, you need to get out of those wet clothes before you get sick." She said as she walked upstairs. I shrugged and followed her. She disappeared into a room and I waited outside it for her to return. A few minutes later she stepped out and handed me some clothes.  
  
"Now go in the bathroom and change." She said as she pushed me into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I sighed and quickly got out of my clothes. I picked up what Kagome's brother had explained to me once before as boxers. I slipped them on and then continued to get dressed. There was also a tie with the clothes, so I tied my hair back loosely. I looked down at myself. These modern clothes weren't too uncomfortable. Kagome's mom had given me a pair of black 'sweatpants', a red shirt with long sleeves, and a pair of those 'sock' things. I felt my body feel a little warmer in these clothes, so I picked up my wet kimono and walked out of the bathroom. I found Kagome's mom in the kitchen and could smell Ramen cooking. My mouth watered but I ignored the smell.  
  
"Umm... what do I do with these?" I asked the older woman. She jumped slightly when I spoke.  
  
"Oh Inuyasha, you startled me." She said as she turned away from the Ramen cup that she had been preparing. "Oh, I'll take those and hang them up to dry for you." She took my kimono and smiled as she walked towards another doorway. "That cup of Ramen on the counter is for you if you're hungry. Kagome told me how much you like it." With that she disappeared into another room.  
  
I took the Ramen and the chop sticks from the 'counter' and walked back into the room Kagome was in. I sat down on the floor with my back to the 'couch', down near Kagome's waist. I shoved some noodles in my mouth and looked up at Kagome's face. She was still sound asleep. She looked relaxed and as beautiful as ever while she slept. I turned my head away with a slight blush. If I was caught staring at her while she slept she might think I was a pervert.  
  
I continued to eat my Ramen when I noticed Kagome shiver out of the corner of my eye. I set my Ramen down on the small table in the room and ran up the stairs to her room. I pulled the blanket from her bed and went back down the stairs to the room she was sleeping in. I draped the blanket over her and smiled as she snuggled into it and stopped shivering. I sat back down and continued eating my Ramen. I want to tell her how I feel, but what about Kikyou? I shook my head as I finished off the last bit of Ramen. Looks like I've got a lot of thinking to do.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well that's it for chapter 4. Oh, MikoGoddess, you read my mind with your idea. Hehe ^^ I tried making it a bit longer, but I've gotta get back to cleaning the house before my mom gets home and finds me. *hears the front door open * Uh oh...  
  
Please Review! Ja ne~! 


	5. Run

Konban wa minna~! It's 8:15pm, I've been working on this chapter since 6pm and I've been busy all day! * sigh* it's been too long a day..... Anyway my family is over celebrating my grandpa's 70th birthday, and no one is my age ((all younger, cept one)) so I'm gonna try to update. I don't know how long this one will be though. Well enough rambling on with the update!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 5  
  
~ Kagome's POV ~  
  
I was in a beautiful field full of vibrant flowers. It was dark out, the night sky showing just a sliver of the moon and billions of tiny stars glowed gently down on the earth below. I watched as fireflies danced in the air, around the flowers and up into the sky. It was rather chilly, but it didn't bother me, my mind focused on something else. In the middle of the field stood a tall figure with long silver hair that seemed to glow with the light of the fireflies as it swayed in the gentle breeze. Change that, his whole figure seemed to glow. He stared up at the stars, not seeming to notice me, with a far off gaze. He looked so amazing standing there in the field, that it took my breath away. Suddenly he turned towards me and I gasped with surprise. His golden eyes shone brighter, and I became lost in the endless pools. He smiled softly at me and his lips moved, but I heard nothing. Suddenly darkness invaded my vision and I felt everything fade away.  
  
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around the room. I was no longer in the beautiful field, but in my dark living room. Wait a second, dark? I looked over at the window and noticed the moon shining brightly with a few stars hanging lazily around it. I felt warmth surrounding me and noticed a blanket resting on top of me. I then caught a slight bit of silver out of the corner of my eye. I blinked and sat up to find Inuyasha leaning against the couch, near my waist.  
  
"Inuyasha?" I whispered as I leaned towards him to see what he was doing. I stopped when I heard his soft, rhythmic breathing, and smiled to myself. He was sound asleep. Half a cup of ramen lay discarded on the table and I noticed that his one hand was clutching my blanket. My eyes widened slightly with realization. I remembered falling asleep in his arms, and then he must've carried me in here and covered me up. I smiled and stroked one of his ears. I heard him purr softly, but he didn't stir from his slumber. I sat up and carefully swung my legs over the side of the couch. Clutching the blanket, I slid off the couch to the floor and quietly crawled into Inuyasha's lap.  
  
"K-Kagome?" I heard a sleepy voice asked quietly. I looked up and saw Inuyasha with his tired golden eyes halfway open and a curious but sleepy look on his face. I smiled and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Just go back to sleep, Inuyasha." I whispered and wrapped the blanket around both of us. I felt his arms slip around me and pull me closer to him. I gladly curled up against him, his body's warmth radiating off him, lulling me to sleep. It wasn't like the warmth of the blanket. His warmth made me feel things that I hadn't felt before and it wasn't like the false warmth the blanket gave me. This was the warmth that I longed to feel, to have wrapped around me.  
  
"Good night Inuyasha." I whispered as I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest. I felt his lips on my forehead and then his warm breath as he pulled away.  
  
"Good night Kagome." I heard him whisper gently before I fell to sleep, feeling comfortable being surrounded by his warmth. It just felt so right.....  
  
I heard voices and felt a warm light on my face. I groaned slightly and shifted, burying my face into the pillow beside me, or at least what I thought was a pillow.  
  
"Not too fond of the light, eh?" I heard a deep, rough but gentle voice ask me. I opened my eyes and looked up from my hiding place only to meet two golden orbs. I blinked and remembered what I had done last night. I blushed and buried my face back into the pillow to hide it. Then my mind clicked and I realized that this wasn't my pillow, it was Inuyasha's chest. I blushed even deeper and pulled my face away deciding that looking down would be better, so I did.  
  
Suddenly I felt his clawed hand grasp my chin and lift my face up. The next thing I knew, his lips were against mine, in a soft, light kiss. I was about to respond when I felt him pull away. I opened my eyes and looked at him questioningly, only to see that he had looked away, his head bowed so that his eyes were hidden behind his thick silvery bangs.  
  
"Inuyasha?" I questioned, saddened by the way he was acting.  
  
"I.....I'm sorry....." I heard him whisper quietly. I blinked, thoroughly confused as to why he would be apologizing.  
  
"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong." I whispered. I tried to get a look at his face, but he just kept looking away from me, never meeting my gaze. Why was he doing this? The only time he ever looked away from me was when he was annoyed, and he wouldn't apologize if he was annoyed. Then why? My thoughts drifted until my eyes widened slightly in realization. He looked away whenever he thought about Kikyo. Is he thinking about her now? I looked at him and frowned. Of course he is, who else would he be thinking about?  
  
I climbed out of his lap and stood up. How could he think about her, especially when we he was kissing me?! ME! I glared at him as he looked up at me, seemingly startled when I moved from his lap. I turned from him and walked to the door, slipping my coat and boots on. I stood up to see him standing in the living room, still with that wondering look on his face. I glared at him.  
  
"I'm leaving. Enjoy you're thoughts about HER!" I spat angrily and opened the door, slamming it as I walked out. I turned and walked down the shrine steps, slowly speeding up. When I reached the street below, I ran. I felt tears prick at my eyes as the ice-cold wind whipped my face. I knew my tears weren't because of the wind, they were from the heartbreak I was feeling. The way he had acted, holding me, letting me sleep in his lap, and the way he kissed me. I felt like he was truly starting to care about me and forget that dead witch. But no, he can't forget the one he loves, and unfortunately I'm not the one he loves. He loves the one who hates and despises him, the one who wants to drag him into the depths of Hell just to satisfy her own selfish feelings. Why couldn't he realize that I loved him and wanted him to live?! Why did he have to run to her, think about her, love her..... why? Why?  
  
My tears fell freely as I continued to run. I needed to get away, I needed to think. I just couldn't stand it. My mind pulled in all directions and I headed for the park. It was deserted because of the cold weather, so I slowed my pace until I was walking at a slow pace. I wipped the tears from my cheeks but more soon replaced them. I sighed and kept walking trying to clear my head. I looked up at the sky and felt something cold land on my cheek. I blinked confusedly but realized it was snowing again. The sky was covered in gray clouds and the tiny white flakes fell by the millions from the vast blanket of gray.  
  
I sighed and walked on, watching the snow fall peacefully to the already white ground below. I came to a small side path that led off into the forest and turned onto it. The trail was beautiful and the snow and ice lingered on the trees making the forest look pure and barren. I became lost in the look of the forest and the feeling it was giving me when suddenly I fell to the ground. I rubbed my backside as I sat up and looked behind me. I had slipped on a patch of ice. I sighed and rose to my feet looking around the forest. I noticed a log beneath a big tree a few meters from the trail and slowly walked to it. After running and crying, I felt exhausted and I wanted to rest. I cleared the white powder from the log and sat down, leaning back against the tree trunk that was behind me.  
  
I sighed and tried to relax. I watched the snowflakes fall lazily from the sky and felt my eyelids grow heavy. My eyes drifted closed and I thought I heard a twig snap, but I ignored it and felt myself drift off into the dark land of unconsciousness.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
No Kagome did not just get knocked out, she fell asleep. It's very easy to fall asleep out in the snow while watching snowflakes, I almost have. Sorry this chapter is so much shorter than the rest, but I felt that was a good place to stop. Also my cousins and my little bro are playing 007 GoldenEye, and it's very hard to write something like this with machine guns in the background. Eh heh heh.....  
  
Please Review!  
  
Ja ne~! 


	6. Making Up

Hey everyone! Thank you all for the reviews, I keep getting so many, it's awesome! Well it seems that people enjoyed having the chapters done in POV, so I'll keep going with that if I can. Well, I really have nothing to ramble about today, so on with the chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 6  
  
~ Inuyasha's POV ~  
  
I heard the door slam and stood there frozen. Why did she leave? What did I do? Then I remembered what she yelled. 'Enjoy your thoughts about HER!' I blinked and realization flooded through my mind. She thought..... Oh shit this isn't good. I ran out of the house and jumped down to the hard area below. I looked around but Kagome was nowhere in sight. I heard whispers around me and noticed people staring. I growled and ran away from them as fast as I could. If Kagome found out about that, she'd kill me, if she doesn't kill me already.  
  
When no one was around, I sniffed the air trying to find her sweet scent. I found it, but it was faint. I took off following her scent when I came to a forest area in the middle of the city. It looked empty and barren as the snow danced around in the sky. My eyes caught some footprints that were fresh, though being covered up by the snow.  
  
Kagome's scent was also fresher here, so I followed the footprints onto a small path leading through the thicker part of the small forest. I picked up the scent of tears and stopped in my tracks. She's crying? Oh shit why did she have to think that I was thinking about Kikyo? I wasn't thinking about her..... well maybe just a little bit. Oh Kami what have I gotten myself into?  
  
I shook my head to clear away my thoughts. I continued to walk, as the snow seemed to fall slower from the sky. The snowflakes grew bigger and they stuck together as they drifted to blanket everything around me. I kept following Kagome's scent, not allowing myself to be mesmerized by the landscape and gentle falling snow.  
  
Kagome's scent was getting closer as I walked. I rounded a tree and stopped. There was Kagome, sitting on a log beneath a large snow covered tree, quietly dozing. I crept closer to her and took in her appearance. Around her eyes was puffy and her cheeks were stained with frozen tears. I frowned and silently crouched down in front of her. I touched her cheek softly and brushed away the few tears that remained. She still looked beautiful sitting there, even if she has been crying. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, her lips tinted blue from the cold, slightly parted as she breathed. I was so close to her by now that I could feel her warm breath on my face. I ran one of my fingers gently over her soft lips, then leaned forward and captured her lips with my own, in a soft kiss. I pulled away once I realized what I was doing. She was sleeping, mad at me, and here I am stealing a kiss from her. I sighed and ran a clawed hand through my bangs. Suddenly I heard Kagome's breathing change and sensed her moving. My eyes widened when hers opened and gazed at me with surprise.  
  
"Inu..... Inuyasha?"  
  
I blinked and sat there like an idiot staring at her. I saw her blush slightly and shook my head, coming to my senses. I stood up and sat down on the log beside her. I could feel her gaze on me, but I didn't want to look up.  
  
"Kagome..... I'm sorry....." I whispered as I fidgeted with my claws. "I- I wasn't thinking about Kikyou..... well in a way I was, but only because....." I trailed off, searching for something to say.  
  
"Because.....?" I heard her ask questioningly. I looked up at her, my eyes locking with hers. She seemed hurt, sad, and angry. I had caused this, and I had to take it away.  
  
"Because..... I have made a decision." I whispered. I sensed Kagome tense and quickly thought of something to say. "I've made the decision not to go to Hell with her."  
  
"W-What?" I looked at Kagome's surprised and confused expression.  
  
"I'm not going to Hell with Kikyou." I repeated.  
  
"Why?" she asked, obviously confused by what I had said. I smiled softly and cup her cheek with my hand.  
  
"I can't leave you Kagome." I watched her eyes widen slightly. "I can't leave you because," I leaned closer to her, "I love you too much to ever leave you."  
  
I saw her eyes widen even more if possible and her lips move to say something, but before she could speak I brought my lips to hers and kissed her again, as I had in the snow before. I felt her respond and I deepened the kiss while I wrapped my arms around her waist. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she pulled me down, making the kiss more passionate.  
  
We sat there, kissing, for what seemed like an eternity until we parted for breath. Panting slightly for air, I looked at her and smiled. She was smiling back at me, also trying to catch her breath. I felt her lean against me, her head resting against my chest.  
  
"I love you too, Inuyasha." I sat there stunned by what she had whispered. I smiled and kissed the top of her head, holding her closer.  
  
"Inuyasha?" I heard her whisper.  
  
"Yes Kagome?"  
  
She looked up at me, a soft smile gracing her lips. I couldn't help but smile back as I stared into her eyes.  
  
"Could..... Could we stay here, like this, just a little longer?"  
  
Her eyes were so bright and they pleaded with me to agree. I nodded my head and watched her smile widen. She placed her head back against my chest and I pulled her into my lap. I heard her sigh contently and I leaned back against the tree trunk behind the log.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I looked up at the sky and noticed that the snow had stopped falling, the sky now clear of the gray clouds that usually floated up there. Kagome and I had been sitting on the log for about an hour, and the sky was being to darken, colors of the sunset slowly mixing into the darkness that already covered most of the sky. I looked down at Kagome, curled up in my lap and smiled. I shook her gently, rousing her from the light sleep she had drifted into. She blinked open her eyes and smiled up at me before leaning up and kissing my cheek.  
  
"How long have we been here?" she asked as she stretched.  
  
"About an hour, the sun's setting though, so we should head back."  
  
I saw her frown slightly before replacing it with a smile. She climbed out of my lap and grabbed my hand pulling me up. I blinked in confusion at her antics and tilted my head to the side. She giggled and pulled me towards the trail. Once we reached it, she pulled me in the opposite way we came.  
  
"Where are we going, this isn't the way back to the shrine." I asked.  
  
"You'll see." She smiled.  
  
We continued walking and the trail eventually opened up to a large clearing. I looked around and saw a big pond, frozen over by the cold. Some people were gliding across it and I heard some kind of music coming from the wooden hut by the pond. I blinked and looked down at Kagome. She simply smiled up at me. She let go of my hand and then ran towards the pond.  
  
"Come on Inuyasha!" she called back to me as she continued to run. I blinked at her sudden change in mood, but shrugged it off.  
  
"Women....." I sighed and I jogged after her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ok, there you have it folks, chapter 6. It took me a while to write this chapter, though it's a little short. I believe I'm coming down with a case of writer's block. O.O; Uh oh..... Sorry this update is so late, I just couldn't think of anything. I hope this chapter was ok. Let me know!  
  
Please review, it's also to get them and every one of them is greatly appreciated!  
  
Ja ne~!!!! ^^ 


	7. Skating Away

Hey minna! Here's another update, sorry it's a little late. I'm getting writer's block...so please don't be mad. I'll also accept ideas! ^^ Oh, and I'm now 17, w00t~! Guess I'll have to change my name from Demon Girl16 to Demon Girl17. Whatcha think? Ok, enough of this, on with the chapter~!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.  
  
*~ lyrics ~*  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 7  
  
~ Kagome's POV ~  
  
I ran to the building, having Inuyasha wait near a tree by the pond for me. I rented two pairs of skates and bought a hat for Inuyasha. I can't believe I almost forgot about his ears. Oh well. I quickly paid the man with some money I had in my pocket, and ran back over to Inuyasha. I pulled the blue and white hat on his head and giggled at his annoyed look.  
  
"What the hell is this thing, it's making my ears itch!" he yelled and pulled the hat off. I sighed and pulled the hat from his hand placing it back on his head, only not as far down as I had before.  
  
"It's a hat to keep your head, and ears warm. It's also to keep your ears out of sight, ok?" he nodded and I sighed again. "Here." I said handing him a pair of ice skates. He gave me a confused look and I couldn't help but giggle, he was just too cute when he looked at me like that. I motioned for him to sit on a bench near the tree and I knelt down in front of him. "Give me your foot."  
  
He blinked a few times but obeyed after a minute. I slipped the skate on his foot and pulled the laces tight and tied it. After, I did the same with his other foot and then put my own on. I stood up and held my hand out to help him up.  
  
"Feh, I can stand on my own." He said standing up, though as soon as he had finished speaking, he was on his butt in the snow. I laughed and held my hand out to him. He took it and I pulled him up to his feet, him glaring at me the whole time.  
  
"It's not funny." He pouted.  
  
"I-I'm sorry." I said once I had my laughing under control. I held onto his hand and led him towards the ice. I stepped out onto it, and waited while he hesitantly stepped out onto it.  
  
"Now give me your other hand." I said. He reached out and I took his other hand in mine. I smiled at his unsure expression and he smiled back nervously. I slowly started skating backwards, holding both his hands, slowly pulling him with me. He blinked and looked a little scared once we started moving, going further out on the ice. I stopped once we got near the middle and let go of his hands. He looked at me confused and I skated backwards away from him. I circled a couple times and stopped a few meters away from him to see if he was watching. He looked like a lost puppy that had no idea what was going on. I smiled and skated back over to him.  
  
"Need some help?" I asked stopping in front of him.  
  
"Damn straight I need help! I've never done this before." I narrowed my eyes.  
  
"Well if you're going to yell at me, then I might as well leave you out here." I noticed his face pale at this and I took his hands in mine once again. "Come on, you know I wouldn't do that." He smiled sheepishly and I started skating backwards again. "Ok, now just move one foot in front of the other, just like if you were walking, only let your foot slide a little bit in between each step."  
  
He did as I said and after about ten minutes of instructions, he seemed a little more confident. He seemed to be enjoying himself actually, and he was even smiling.  
  
"Ok now it's your turn to do it on your own." I said, releasing his hands and skating back away from him. He hesitated but slowly moved forward. He was almost to me, note, almost to me.  
  
His skate hit a stray piece of ice and he fell to the ice, taking me with him because he was already close to me. We hit the ice and laid there for a minute before we both burst out laughing. I noticed a few people on the rink stop and stare at us before continuing on their way. I sat up and slowly rose to my feet, still laughing. I wiped my eyes and held out my hand to Inuyasha. He took it and I pulled him up onto his feet.  
  
"Thanks." He mumbled and I smiled at him. I kept his hand in mine and began skating off, this time with him skating beside me. It was so peaceful. The stars were shining brightly above us, the music softly playing in the background, the warmth of our hands together, it was perfect, as if we were the only ones on the ice. We skated for about an hour, until people started leaving.  
  
"Alright skaters, it's about closing time and this is the last song we'll be playing tonight. Once the song is over please return the skates and be careful going home. Enjoy." The man at the building turned off the intercom and a slow steady beat poured from the speakers. I smiled and stopped on the ice.  
  
"Kagome?" I heard Inuyasha whisper in confusion. I turned to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck.  
  
"Let's skate closer, just this once." I whispered. He smiled softly down at me and I felt him wrap his arms around my waist. I rested my head against his chest and slowly we started to skate across the ice, gliding together, as one.  
  
*~ I call you up  
  
You pick up  
  
You call my bluff  
  
On the card to love  
  
You hold too close  
  
Your hands to your chest  
  
I can read your eyes  
  
But I confess  
  
It's lonely far from you, oh  
  
Even when you're right by me  
  
It's only why I wait for you  
  
To take my hand  
  
Why do I beg like a child for your candy?  
  
Why do I come after you like I do, I love you?  
  
Wherever you are  
  
I swear  
  
You'll be my angel  
  
You...  
  
I play my cards the best I can  
  
But I lose my luck when you're not here  
  
My darling heart  
  
Won't you please give in?  
  
I may be strong  
  
But I want you back again  
  
When you're not here Love it's hard to pretend  
  
It's all alright again  
  
When you're not here Love it's hard to pretend  
  
It's all alright but still  
  
Why do I beg like a child for your candy?  
  
Why do I run after you like I do, I love you?  
  
Whatever you are  
  
I swear  
  
You'll be my angel, you... ~*  
  
The song continued to play softly when I heard a soft voice sing with the music. I lifted my head from Inuyasha's chest and looked up at him. His lips moved, softly singing the song, his voice smoothly matching that of the singer's only his was better. He opened his eyes a little and smiled down at me. I felt him move a hand up behind my head and he gently pushed my head back against his chest. I smiled and closed my eyes, relaxing against him, just enjoying the moment.  
  
*~ Watch the deck  
  
Count your cards  
  
Makes no sense  
  
That I'm always losing,  
  
When you're gone...  
  
Why do I beg like a child for your candy?  
  
Why do I come after you like I do, I love you  
  
Wherever you are  
  
I swear  
  
You'll be my angel, you...  
  
When you're gone... ~*  
  
The song faded and I sighed. I pulled away from Inuyasha and taking his hand in mine, skated over to the edge of the rink to the bench we were at before. I slipped off the skates and put on my boots while Inuyasha sat down and took off his own skates. I took both pairs and ran to the building returning them to the guy. I ran back over to Inuyasha, who was now standing near the tree by the path that lead to the park exit and back towards the shrine.  
  
"Ready to go?" I asked when I reached him. Suddenly I felt his arms wrap around me and his warm lips on mine. I was surprised at first, but responded by leaning up towards him to deepen the kiss some. I felt him pull away and my lips were left tingling from the feel of his on mine. He smiled at me and pulled away, leaving one arm around my waist.  
  
"We better get going." He whispered as he started walking, with me beside him, his arm firmly around my waist. I smiled and relaxed against him. The night had been perfect after we cleared up some misunderstandings. I looked up at him and he looked down at me, our eyes meeting.  
  
"I love you Inuyasha." I whispered before looking away, and I felt his arm squeeze me gently.  
  
"I love you too, Kagome."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ok that's it for chapter 7. Sorry it's not that long, but my writer's block is getting to me. *cries softly in a corner*  
  
Please review, I think I need a pick-me-up.  
  
Ja ne. 


	8. Walking Home and Planning

Hey minna, I'm back! Yesterday I cleaned my room all day, and now I have a new TV hooked up with a dvd player, VCR, and Playstation. Cool, ne? Anyway, sorry I didn't update yesterday. Thanks for all the reviews everyone, I've got over 100 for this fic. *cries * Thank you! Pocky, Ramen, and Yan Yan for everyone!  
  
To Inu Faceness: That song was Angel, by the Dave Matthews Band.  
  
To the wizard: Click, Log In, and it should take you to your author name's screen. On the column to the left, where it says document manager and all that, towards the top, it says Log Out. Click it. If it doesn't work, close the window and log offline, that should log you out automatically.  
  
Ok, I'm slowly getting over my writer's block because I had an idea on Friday. The problem though, I don't quite remember what the idea was... But I will remember it and make this chapter today, right now! *11:31 am, Sunday * Ok, here we go!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: chapter 8  
  
~ Inuyasha's POV ~  
  
After 'ice skating', we walked back down the path of which we came, my arm firmly wrapped around her waist. The sky was still dark as we walked, and only a few stars were visible now. Must be the damned 'lights' from this place. I felt Kagome shiver slightly and looked down at her, squeezing her gently to get her attention.  
  
"You cold?" I asked. She looked up at me and nodded.  
  
"A little bit. I think the temperature's dropped a few degrees." Ok, so she is cold, but what the hell are degrees and temperature? I'll never understand her world.  
  
I stopped and put my hat on her head. She blinked surprised and I pointed to my ears, as I flattened them to my head, making them not visible.  
  
"Inuyasha why did you give this to me?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Too keep you warmer, baka." I smiled and wrapped my arm back around her waist, pulling her with me as I started walking again. I felt her lean against me as we walked together, now at the path out of this place. We walked under an arch and out onto the black ground, heading back to the shrine. I sighed. This night had been actually fun and I didn't want it to end. I looked down at Kagome and noticed her eyes were closed halfway. I smirked and stopped walking, sweeping her off her feet into my arms. She shrieked from surprised and her arms wrapped around my neck. I gently kissed her and then pulled away, to start walking again, carrying her in my arms.  
  
"Inuyasha..."  
  
I looked down at her and saw her cheeks a light crimson color and her face turned towards my chest. I smiled at how cute she looked, and continued walking.  
  
"Huh?" I replied.  
  
"What if people stare at us with you carrying me like this?" She whispered, her voice holding a bit of embarrassment to it.  
  
"So what if they do?" I shrugged. I looked down at her surprised face and smiled. "Who cares if they stare or even what they think?"  
  
"You're right." She whispered, smiling up at me, and snuggling closer against me.  
  
"Aren't I always?" I smirked. She hit me playfully in the chest laughing a little.  
  
"Now who's the baka?"  
  
"Hmm... you." I grinned earning another light hit from her.  
  
"Jerk." She mumbled.  
  
"Yeah, but you know you love me." I smiled down at her.  
  
"Hmm... I don't know..." I watched her as she tapped her chin seemingly thoughtfully.  
  
"Hey!" She giggled and leaned up, kissing my cheek.  
  
"I was only joking, Inuyasha." She smiled. "You know I love you, and only you."  
  
She snuggled back against me and I nodded. I continued to walk, silence now between us. I could see part of the shrine, when a scent hit my nose. I stopped and sniffed the air, looking around.  
  
"What is it Inuyasha?" I heard Kagome ask. I didn't answer, as I continued to sniff the air. Then I saw where the scent was coming from.  
  
"Ramen." I said looking down at her. She gave me a weird look and then looked at a cart near the shrine. She reached into the pocket of the pants she was wearing and pulled out some colored paper.  
  
"Ok Inuyasha, let me down." I blinked, but obeyed and set her on her feet. She grabbed my hand and then pulled me towards the cart. I blinked when we reached the cart, and breathed in the savory aroma. Kagome sat down on something and then patted a similar thing next to hers. I blinked and gave her a confused look.  
  
"It's a stool, you si-... uh..." she said thinking of something. "You set your butt on it." She grinned nervously. I gave her a flat look and sat on the 'stool' like she had. I looked up as a man came over to us.  
  
"May I help you?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, I need to bowls of Ramen, please." Kagome told him, and handed him some of the colored paper. The man nodded and went to another part of the cart to see another person. Kagome and I sat there in silence, me not really knowing what to say.  
  
"So... when do you want to go back to your era?" Kagome said breaking the silence. "I mean we were supposed to go back this morning, but that didn't happen."  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, the other's are gonna wonder what happened." I said. "But who cares, we can stay as long as you want, I guess." I turned to her, and smirked at yet another surprised look she was giving me. "I'm full of surprises today, aren't I?"  
  
She nodded and smiled at me. "But they're good surprises."  
  
Just then the man came back carrying two bowls of Ramen. He handed one to Kagome and then one to me. I sniffed it deeply and sighed. I went to dig in when I noticed the strange look the man was giving me. I narrowed my eyes and began to eat after he backed away, moving down to the other person again. I ate my Ramen with a little more decency than I usually did. Note only a little more decency. I still slurped. * ^^; *  
  
Kagome and I ate in silence and when we were finished, set out bowls down and got up from the 'stools'. I stretched a little and my ass was stiff. Damned things. I watched Kagome get up and we walked to the shrine. We reached the top of the stairs and walked towards the house.  
  
Suddenly, I saw her lose her balance, probably from ice. I jumped forward and caught her, but fell into the snow after I had got her. My back hit the snow, and I felt the cold and wet seeping into my clothes. Kagome, who was on top of my chest, scrambled to her feet and helped me sit up. I shook my head, to get the snow off of me, and stood up, brushing it off of my pants and backside. I heard giggling and looked up at Kagome. She reached out and took my hand, still giggling, and lead me into the house. We went up to her room and she left, coming back with some weird clothes. She told me to change and then left the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
I sighed and stripped out of my clothing, slipping on the red boxers with paw prints on them, and then slipped on a pair of gray sweatpants. I picked up the shirt and examined it. I didn't like the feel of it, so I threw it in the corner. I opened the door and sniffed tentatively. The only scent that I picked up was Kagome's. That meant no one else was here. I grinned and left the room, walking downstairs to find Kagome sitting on the 'couch' thing, watching the 'TV'. I walked over and plopped down beside her, staring at the TV.  
  
"Whatcha doin?" I asked turning to her. She looked at me and a deep crimson grew in her cheeks. I smirked mentally as she didn't answer and just continued to stare. "Kagome, it's not polite to stare you know."  
  
She snapped out of her reverie and turned back to the TV, the blush on her cheeks only growing deeper. "I-I'm watching T-TV." She stuttered.  
  
"Oh." I said wrapping my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me. I watched her blush deepen and her fidget a little. I smiled and kissed her temple before turning to see what she was watching.  
  
We watched the 'TV' for a little while in silence, but it got boring. "Hey Kagome, where'd your family go?" I asked breaking the silence.  
  
"They went to my Aunt's house. Her power went out and she needed some help. They left a note saying that they'd be spending the night there, and probably wouldn't be back until tomorrow around noon, lunchtime." She said. I smiled and reached for the remote thing. I pressed a button and the TV went off. Kagome looked at me confused and I shrugged.  
  
"I'm bored, let's do something." I said.  
  
"Uh...ok... it's a little late, but how about play a game?"  
  
"What kind of game?"  
  
"A card game." She smiled and got up off the couch. I watched her walk into the kitchen and then come back with a little box in her hand. She sat on the floor and patted a spot in front of her. I got up and sat down in front of her as she passed out the 'cards'. I recognized them as something similar to what men used back in my era, and they reminded me of a game I had seen some of them play when women were around, playing with them.  
  
"Ok, the name of the game is Speed." She continued on explaining it too me, but I became confused. After what seemed like a while, I finally got it and we played the game. Not exactly what I had in mind, but I have a plan on how to do what I want, and these cards might help. I smirked as I won my second game and Kagome pouted. Yes, before the night is out, I will make her mine.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ok, that's it for chapter 8. It's now 1:34pm... wow that took awhile, but I had to do other stuff while writing this, so I guess it's not that bad. I actually think my writer's block has lifted! YAY! Thank you everyone for all the reviews, support, and pick-me-ups, it all helped! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.  
  
Please Review!  
  
Ja ne~! 


	9. Drinks, a Song, and Love

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews. It's really awesome! ^^ Well I really don't have much to say today so... on with the chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and co.  
  
~* song lyrics *~  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 9  
  
~ Kagome's POV ~  
  
About forty minutes had passed and Inuyasha had just won his 15th game... I won... 5 maybe... I sighed and watched stand up.  
  
"Where are you going?" I asked staring up at him confused.  
  
"I'm thirsty. You want anything?"  
  
"Do you even know where the drinks are kept?"  
  
"I can sniff them out while you re-deal." He said as I watched him walk to the kitchen. "No cheating."  
  
I glared after him as he disappeared into the kitchen, and then I shuffled the deck. How can he be so nice one minute and then a winning braggart the next? He's so confusing sometimes, but I still love him. I love him so much more than he'll ever know.  
  
I dealt the cards and sat there, waiting for Inuyasha to return. I sighed and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. What's taking so long?  
  
"Hey, I brought you a drink." I heard a rough voice say. I sat up and took the cup from him, drinking it all at once, not caring what it was. I blinked.  
  
"Hey, that was pretty good." I said. "What is it?" He shrugged.  
  
"I found it and thought it smelled sweet. Want some more?" he said holding up a bottle.  
  
"Sure."  
  
I watched him fill my glass and then set the bottle down, taking a sip of his own drink. I took a sip of mine and set the glass down. Wow, that stuff is good. Wonder what it is? Oh well.  
  
"Alright Inuyasha, time for another round and this time, you're going down." I said as I picked up my five cards.  
  
"I don't think so bitch." He smirked and picked up his cards.  
  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
  
I hiccuped for the third time and giggled placing my last card down.  
  
"I win!" I laughed. Everything felt so much different, I don't even know how much time has passed. I picked up a bottle from the floor and put it to my lips, but nothing came out. "Awe, there's no more!" I pouted.  
  
"Well that was the last one." I looked over at Inuyasha. "We had... uh... 1... 2...5...3...6 bottles... I think..." He scratched his head in thought and hiccuped. I giggled and dived at him, tackling him to the ground. I rubbed his ears and he purred, rubbing his head into my hand.  
  
"Aww, you're so cute!" I giggled.  
  
"Nah, you're cute." He smiled and then kissed my nose. I smiled back and kissed him. I felt him respond and kiss back, so I leaned further into it, deepening it.  
  
Suddenly music blared, and I pulled away, surprised. I looked at Inuyasha as he covered his ears, and saw a black thing sticking out from under his shoulder. I picked it up and examined it.  
  
"The remote to the stereo!" I yelled, proud of figuring out what it was.  
  
"Turn it off!" I heard Inuyasha yell. I hit a button and the music stopped. I got off of Inuyasha and he sat up, rubbing his ears. "Damn that was loud."  
  
"Are you ok?" I asked, now seeming a little more down to earth with myself.  
  
"Yeah, I'm good." He said and smiled at me. "Now what do we do? Cards is getting a little boring."  
  
"Uh... well..." I thought for a minute. "Um... I know! We can do kareoke!" I clapped my hands together and smiled.  
  
"Kareoke?" I looked at the confusion on Inuyasha's face and laughed.  
  
"Yeah, kareoke. You sing with the music."  
  
"I know what kareoke is. But why do you want to do that?"  
  
"It'll be fun." I jumped up and ran over to the stereo. "Here, you get on the couch and watch, while I go first."  
  
"Fine by me." I heard him say and watched him move and sit on the couch. I smiled and searched through the CDs. I found a good one and put it in.  
  
"Alright, here I go." I said as the music started.  
  
~* I, I've been in love before  
  
I thought I would no more  
  
Manage to hit the ceiling  
  
Still, strange as it seems to me  
  
You brought it back to me  
  
That old feeling  
  
I, I don't know what you do  
  
You make me think that you  
  
Possibly could release me  
  
I think you'll be able to  
  
Make all my dreams come true  
  
And you ease me  
  
You thrill me, you delight me  
  
You please me, you excite me  
  
You're something I'd been pleading for  
  
I love you, I adore you  
  
I lay my life before you  
  
I'll have you want me more and more  
  
And finally it seems my lonely days are through  
  
I've been waiting for you  
  
I, I'm gonna make you mine  
  
You're gonna feel so fine  
  
You'll never want to leave me  
  
I feel you belong to me  
  
Someday you will agree  
  
Please, believe me  
  
You thrill me, you delight me  
  
You please me, you excite me  
  
You're something I'd been pleading for  
  
I love you, I adore you  
  
I lay my life before you  
  
I'll have you want me more and more  
  
And finally it seems my lonely days are through  
  
I've been waiting for you  
  
Oh, I've been waiting for you  
  
Na na na, na na na, na-na na  
  
Na na na, na na na, na-na na  
  
Na na na, na na na, na-na na-naa *~  
  
The last note of the song faded and I slowly opened my eyes expecting to see Inuyasha sitting on the couch looking bored. I jumped, surprised, when I opened my eyes, only to meet his golden ones right in front of me.  
  
"Inuyasha don't scare me like-"I tried to yell, but was cut off when his lips crashed onto mine. I was surprised at first, but I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head down more, deepening the kiss. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and then him pulling me. Suddenly I felt the softest on the couch beneath me, and I pulled away from the kiss, staring up into his eyes.  
  
"Inuyasha?" I asked, feeling WAY more done to earth now.  
  
"Kagome..." he whispered. I felt his clawed hand cup my cheek, his thumb gently stroking my skin. I felt sparks run down my spine at his touch and my heart rate quickened. My eyes locked with his, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. I saw him lean down closer and softly kiss my lips. He pulled away and turned his head so that his mouth was near my ear. I felt his hot breath on my skin and started breathing heavier. "Kagome... I need you... I need you badly..." I heard him whisper. My eyes widened and everything in my body quickened.  
  
I saw him move, looking back down at me. I felt his hands slide across my waist and looked into his eyes, his eyes asking for permission almost. I nodded slowly and felt his hand slide up my shirt. Suddenly his lips met mine again, and I kissed back without hesitation. I pulled back from the kiss a little for air and I looked up my eyes once again locking with his.  
  
"Inuyasha..." I gasped out as I felt his hand move higher up my shirt. I felt him tug gently at the fabric and I removed his hand from my shirt. I looked at his confused eyes, and slowly pulled my shirt off. I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. Our faces were centimeters from each other and I stared deeply into his golden eyes.  
  
"Kagome..." I heard him whisper. "Be mine... be my mate... with me... forever..."  
  
"I already am yours, Inuyasha." I whispered. "And I always will be." I smiled and closed the space between our faces by capturing his lips in a passionate kiss.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Alright people, that's it for chapter 9. Sorry for the cliffie, but I'm only a 17 year old, and I have never had experience with the lemony stuff. So, I probably won't go into detail on their night, because I don't wanna screw it up. Sorry everyone.  
  
Please Review!  
  
Ja ne~! 


	10. Waking Up to a New Day

Oi minna-san! THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS!!! Here's another update. I've been working since about 1:00pm and I just got home, and it's 6:17pm. Oh, and just to let everyone know, next weekend there may not be an update because I'll be out of town for a wedding. If I can, I'll try to type another chapter during the week so that I can get it out before I go, but I don't know if I'll be able to. It's the end of the 3rd marking period at my school, so my teachers will be loading us down with last minute assignments. Like just last week in math, Monday I had off, Tuesday I had review, Wednesday I had a test, Thursday was more review, and then on Friday I had a 30-week test, which is a test on all the material learned over the last 30 weeks. Ugh! Now I know why they call my teacher the math nazi. *sigh * Anyway, here's the update.  
  
Oh and insomni-maniac guessed right, it's some VERY alcoholic, very good wine. ^_^;  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not any songs, not the characters, nothing.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 10  
  
~ Inuyasha's POV ~  
  
I felt a warmth on my eyes and slowly opened them to the sun's rays shining in through a window and reflecting off what appeared to be a picture on the wall, into my eyes. I tried to shift myself, but couldn't because something was holding me down. I looked beside me and smiled softly. I gently stroked her hair and sighed. It hadn't been a dream as I had thought before I had fallen asleep. Kagome was now mine, my mate, my love. I held her closer and pulled the blanket up around us more. I gently kissed her forehead and looked over her, taking in the how peaceful and content she looked.  
  
Suddenly a loud ringing sounded through the air and I jumped at the volume of it. I slipped off the couch, my back hitting the floor, and Kagome coming down on top of me, the blanket somehow managing to stay over us. I took a second to regain the air that had been knocked from my lungs from the fall. I glared at the little thing on the small table where the sound was coming from. I grabbed it and was about to throw it against the wall, when Kagome took it from me. I blinked and watched her push a button on it.  
  
"Hello?" I heard her ask sleepily. I could barely hear a voice come through the little black thing and I watched as Kagome nodded and mumbled some 'yeahs' and 'oks'. She pushed another button on the thing and tossed it aside, curling back up against me. I blinked in confusion again and gently shook her.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Yeah?" she mumbled.  
  
"What was that?" I asked her.  
  
"Oh, it was a phone, a way for people to communicate. It was my mom, her and my family will be home soon." She mumbled again and yawned. My eyes widened as my brain processed the information. Her family was on their way here, and here we are, curled up with one another on the floor, under a blanket, naked... Shit...  
  
"Um, Kagome, your family is coming home now?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, don't you think your family may be a little shocked to see us like this?" I watched her as she slowly opened her eyes, and then she jumped up.  
  
"Crap!" she yelled and started to search for her clothes. I found mine, and slipped them on, finding hers beneath mine.  
  
"Here." I handed them to her and she quickly pulled them on.  
  
"There, now they won't know." She smiled and plopped down on the couch. I shook my head.  
  
"What about that?" I asked pointing towards where we were playing cards last night. Empty bottles littered the floor, cards were everywhere, and there were those CD case things spread out near the stereo thing. I turned back to Kagome, her eyes wide and face pale. I walked over to her and waved my hand in front of her face. "Kagome?"  
  
Suddenly she jumped up and ran over to the mess, picking up the bottles.  
  
"Inuyasha pick up the cards." She said picking up the last bottle. "What am I going to do with these? If my mom sees them she'll flip, and even if we hide them she'll wonder why they're missing."  
  
I walked over to her and took the bottles from her. "I'll take care of these, you pick up the cards and those things over there." I said motioning to the CD cases with my head.  
  
"What are you going to do with them?" She asked as I turned to walk out of the room.  
  
"Oh I've got an idea." I grinned and walked out, leaving her to finish cleaning. I sniffed the air a bit till I found the room I was looking for. I opened the door and looked around the big room. Spell scrolls and letters littered the floor and books lined the walls. I shook my head and placed the bottles on a table in the corner of the room. The old man must be really obsessed with the past, well, this era's past, to have all this stuff. I kicked some of the papers out of my way and walked over to a table by the futon to look at something that caught my eye. I looked at it and smiled once I realized what it was. It looked like a painting, only it was more realistic, of Kagome from when she was little. She was playing with a little kitten and was dressed in clothes that seemed way to big for her. I laughed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.  
  
I walked back into the room where Kagome was cleaning to find it spotless and my mate missing. I heard a thump above me and turned, walking up the stairs. I knocked opened the door to she her changing her clothes. I smiled and watched her quietly as she threw off her night clothing and pull on strange clothing, but not her usual clothes. She turned toward me and she must've noticed me standing there, with the door partway open because a blush crept into her cheeks.  
  
"Uh... what're you doing?" she asked, the blush still there.  
  
"I came to find you." I answered.  
  
"Oh. Uh, well I had to get dressed."  
  
"I noticed." I smirked as her blush deepened.  
  
I heard something downstairs and sighed.  
  
"Kagome dear, we're home!" I heard Kagome's mom yell. Kagome ran over to where I was, pulling me inside her room as she looked out the door.  
  
"Ok mom, I'll be right down." She yelled back. She then walked out of the room and came back a couple minutes later with some weird clothing in her hands. Where she kept getting these clothes was beyond me. She walked over to me and handed me the clothes. "Put those on."  
  
I blinked and looked at the weird clothes. "What are they?"  
  
"They're clothes."  
  
"No really?" I said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh sorry. These" she said holding up a pair of whitish-tan pants. "are khakis. That is a t-shirt, and this" she held up black shirt with long sleeves and an open front. "is a dress shirt. You put it on over the t- shirt and then you either button it up, or keep it open."  
  
"Ok..." I said as I took the stuff from her. I easily slipped the t-shirt on over my head, and then took off my pants, pulling on the 'khakis'. I went to put on the black shirt, when Kagome stopped me. "What?"  
  
"You have to zip up the khakis and button them." she said. I blinked and looked at her confused.  
  
"I have to what?"  
  
She sighed and blushed slightly. "I'll uh... show you..." I watched her as her hands pulled a metal thing on the pants, and then fastened the button on them. I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks while she did this and I looked at her face to see it probably as red as mine was.  
  
"T-Thanks..." I mumbled out as I slipped the black shirt on. I decided not to mess with the buttons and left it hang. "Is that it?" I asked as I felt my face cool down, but only a little bit. I watched her as she looked me over and then go to her desk picking something up off of it. She motioned for me to sit on the bed and I did. She came over to me, and then sat down behind me. I felt something run through my hair and turned to see what she was doing.  
  
"What? I'm gonna brush your hair for you." She said, noticing my confused look. I nodded and turned back around. She started to brush my hair again and I couldn't help but sigh. It felt kind of weird having her do this, but it was kind of nice. When she was done, I felt her tie my hair back rather loosely.  
  
"All done." She said as she got up from behind me. I nodded and stood up, stretching slightly.  
  
"Kagome, why did you have me dress this way?" Too tell the truth I had been wondering this the whole time, but tried to ignore it. However my curiosity got the better of me, so I had to ask.  
  
"Well... I was kind of hoping we could go do some more fun things today, before we go back to the feudal era." She said looking down at her feet. "But if you don't want to, I understand, and I can go get your clothes."  
  
I sighed and walked over to her. I grabbed her chin gently and lifted her face to look at me.  
  
"Kagome, don't." I said. "Don't act like this." I smiled and lowered my face closer to hers, kissing her lips softly.  
  
"D-Does this mean that we can stay?" she asked after our lips parted.  
  
"What did you think I'd say no?"  
  
"Well... yeah..."  
  
"Baka." I whispered. "I wouldn't make you unhappy like that. Besides, we can leave Miroku and Sango wondering for one more day."  
  
She smiled and threw her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her and returned the embrace.  
  
"Thank you Inuyasha." She whispered. I smiled and held her close.  
  
"So, what exactly are we going to do?" I asked pulling back enough to look at her.  
  
"Well, first we're going to have to get passed my family." She said, looking down a little.  
  
"Oh." I mouthed. "Should we tell them?" I asked her quietly.  
  
She shook her head. "Not yet." She whispered.  
  
"We're going to have to tell them sometime Kagome."  
  
"I-I know... just not now, ok?"  
  
I nodded sensing her distress about the subject. "You know I'll be there when you tell them."  
  
"You better be." She said looking up at me. I smiled as the fire returned to her eyes and I kissed her again.  
  
"Shall we go then?" I asked once our lips separated again. She smiled at me.  
  
"Yes we shall."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ok, there you have it, chapter 10. It's a little longer than the others, so I hope that's ok. It's now 7:49pm. Dang, that took long to type. I hope it's ok. Towards the end, I really didn't know what to do, so I just went with what my mind told me to do. This chapter kind of sounds like a filler doesn't it? *sigh * I tried. I think my writer's block is coming back... I'm sorry people... I seem to have this problem where I get good ideas, and then none. I hope I can do better. Let me know how I'm doing, like you always do.  
  
Please Review.  
  
Ja ne till next time~! 


	11. A Day Trip with Tension

Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter! W00t~! Aren't you all proud of me? ^^ Well not much to ramble about today. Thank you all so much for all the reviews. If anyone reads my other stories, let me know if I should continue the ones that aren't finished. Thanks again!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 11  
  
~ Kagome's POV ~  
  
I took Inuyasha's hand and lead him downstairs. I was amazed at how good he looked in modern clothing, and it fit him so well. And here I am, in a pair of flares with a blue and white speckled peasant top on. I must look like nothing in comparison to him... maybe I should change?  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
I snapped out of my thoughts and saw my little brother standing before Inuyasha and I, staring at us. I blinked and stopped causing Inuyasha to stop beside me.  
  
"Yeah Souta?"  
  
"Why is Inuyasha still here?"  
  
"Uh... well because, I wanted to show him around some more." I answered. Ok, so it was a stupid answer, and really lame, but what else was I supposed to say to my little brother? The truth?  
  
"Oh, ok. Can I come?" I sweatdropped and shook my head.  
  
"No."  
  
"Awe, why not?" He whined. I sighed. Little brothers can be so annoying at times.  
  
"Because, only Inuyasha and I are going. You should have school work to do today and it's your day to clean the shrine with grandpa, if I'm not mistaken."  
  
He glared at me and then turned to Inuyasha.  
  
"Inuyasha, can I please come with you guys?" He pleaded. I looked at Inuyasha, and he looked at me. He smiled, and let go of my hand, crouching down to Souta's level.  
  
"Sorry kid, but it's just me and Kagome today, alright?" He said as he placed a hand on Souta's head. I blinked in surprise at the tone of his voice and how he wasn't acting all annoyed with Souta.  
  
"Yeah, it's alright." Souta answered, a little disappointed. "But next time, can I come?"  
  
Inuyasha looked up at me and I nodded.  
  
"Yes Souta, next time you can come with us." I said, not as annoyed as I was before, but still a little bit.  
  
"Yay!" He jumped up and ran upstairs to his room, probably to play Playstation. I was probably gonna regret saying he could come with us next time. Now he'll bug me beyond belief until we take him somewhere...  
  
"So, are we going, or are we just going to stand here?" I snapped out of my thoughts once again, and looked up at Inuyasha, who, for a change, was patiently waiting next to me. I nodded and walked over to the door, removing my slippers and slipping on my shoes. I stood up and looked at Inuyasha, mentally smacking myself.  
  
"You need shoes and a coat." I said as I walked over to the closet near the door.  
  
"What for?" I heard him ask as I rummaged around for shoes. I found a pair of brown shoes in the back and pulled them out.  
  
"Because, you can't walk around barefoot here." I sighed. I motioned for him to sit down, and I slipped a shoe on his foot. Lucky me, it seemed to fit. "How's that feel? Can you move your toes?"  
  
"Yeah, but I don't like it." He pouted.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you only have to put up with it for today alright?" He nodded and I slipped the other one on his other foot, and tied them both. I stood back up and searched through the closet again, hoping to find a coat for him. I had no such luck. I grabbed mine and pulled it on.  
  
"Mom, do you have a coat that Inuyasha could wear?" I called from the hallway. Suddenly she appeared from the living room and smiled as she looked at us both.  
  
"Yes, I think I do. I'll go get it." I watched her disappear upstairs. Inuyasha and I stood in silence for a few minutes, until my mom reappeared holding a black leather jacket.  
  
"Here, try this on." She said as she held out the coat to Inuyasha. He slipped it on and I watched mom straighten it. "I guess it fits." She smiled and turned to me. "Now, may I ask where you two are going?"  
  
"Uh, well, I was going to show Inuyasha around the city." I said.  
  
"Oh, well hold on a moment." She left for a second before coming back with her purse. She handed me some money and smiled. "Have fun, and don't feel the need to spend it all, ok?"  
  
I smiled and hugged her. "Thanks mom." She smiled and pushed me towards the door.  
  
"Get going before your grandfather comes in, which speaking of him, I have to ask him about the missing liquor bottles." I smiled nervously.  
  
"Uh, ok mom. See you later." I said quickly as I grabbed Inuyasha's hand and pulled him with me outside. I ran with him down the shrine steps and stopped once we reached the sidewalk below.  
  
"Think she'll figure it out?" I heard Inuyasha ask. I looked up at him to see a smirk on his face.  
  
"Why do you think I got us out of there so quickly?" I smirked back at him. I felt him wrap one arm around my waist and start pulling me with him, walking down the sidewalk.  
  
"So my mate does have a semi-dark side." He joked. I smiled and leaned slightly against him as we walked.  
  
"Never would've guessed it, huh?"  
  
"Not in a million years." He smiled.  
  
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=  
  
Inuyasha and I sat across from each other at a small restaurant that was modeled after a western style café. We had been out for at least two hours, and decided that it was time for a food break. We had gone to the arcade for most of the time, but it got crowded so we had to leave. So here we are now.  
  
"Um... Kagome, what is this stuff?" I heard Inuyasha ask, bringing me from my thoughts. I took the menu from him, and held it up so we could both read.  
  
"Well there's sashimi, oden, sushi, and tempura. Those are all Japanese foods, but the rest is basically food from the countries in the Western Hemisphere."  
  
"The western what?"  
  
"Oh, yeah... um, well, they're foods from different countries other than Japan." He nodded and I smiled. "I'm having oden, do you want to have something Japanese, or try something from a different country?"  
  
"Uh... what's that?" He asked, pointing to something on the menu.  
  
"That's a pizza. It's actually really good. It has meat, cheese, and sauce, all on this dough, and it's baked, and..." I looked at his confused face and stopped. "How about we get it, then you try it and tell me what you think?"  
  
"Good idea." He said sarcastically. I sighed and took a sip of my water. I watched Inuyasha sniff his Pepsi and take a hesitant sip. I shook my head as he licked some from his lips and then continued to chug the rest of the glass. I was about to say something when I heard someone call to me.  
  
"Higurashi!"  
  
Oh no...  
  
"Hello, Hojo." I said as he walked over to the table Inuyasha and I were at. I heard a slight growl coming from Inuyasha, and kicked him gently in the leg under the table. He turned to me, a look of confusion on his face.  
  
"No growling." I said just loud enough for him, and only him to hear.  
  
"Feh." He replied and crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair a bit.  
  
"Hello Higurashi, how are you feeling?" Hojo asked, now at our table, seemingly not noticing the irritated hanyou sitting across from me.  
  
"I'm feeling fine Hojo." I replied smiling a fake smile.  
  
"Great, then how about coming with me to catch a movie?" He asked, a little too excitedly. I sighed. Hojo could be so dense.  
  
I suddenly heard growling again and turned to Inuyasha. In short, he looked pissed and annoyed beyond belief.  
  
"Actually Hojo, right now, I'm on a date with my boyfriend." I said, instantly stopping Inuyasha's growling and causing Hojo to finally notice Inuyasha.  
  
"Boyfriend?" he asked, slightly confused. "But Higurashi, I thought that..."  
  
"I'm sorry Hojo. I like you as a friend..."  
  
"But not as a boyfriend?"  
  
I shook my head. "I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea, Hojo. I didn't mean to make you think that way."  
  
I watched him shake his head. "Why?"  
  
"What?" I asked slightly confused.  
  
"Why did you chose him? I mean I've never even seen this guy before, and now he's suddenly your boyfriend?" he asked, a hint of hatred in his voice.  
  
"Well he's not from around here." I answered. "And he and I have known each other for a couple years now."  
  
"Oh, so all this time you were just leading me on?" Why was he acting this way? He sounds so mean, not like he usually does at all.  
  
"I told you Hojo, I've always thought of you as a friend, nothing more. I went out with you as friends, not as a couple."  
  
I watched him once again shake his head. "You'll regret this." He said before turning and leaving.  
  
I saw Inuyasha start to get up, when I grabbed his arm and stopped him. He looked at me, his eyes narrowed. I shook my head.  
  
"Just let him go, he won't do anything." I said quietly. I watched him sigh and sit back down in his chair.  
  
"I don't trust him." I heard him say, his eyes full of suspicion and anger. I left my hand on his arm and squeezed it gently.  
  
"Relax, nothing will happen." I said calmly. He looked up at me his eyes now calm, but they held some worry and uneasiness, buried deep within them. I smiled reassuringly at him, and he relaxed some, placing his hand on mine.  
  
"Uh...here's your food." A girl said as she set our food down on the table, probably noticing the tenseness in the air. She placed the bill down with our orders and then left, moving on to another table.  
  
"Let's eat and then we can go someplace else, ok?" I asked.  
  
"Alright." I heard him reply and smile a small at me. I smiled in return and released his arm, moving our plates around so that we could eat.  
  
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The sky was painted in different colors as the evening slowly turned to night. I held on to Inuyasha's hand as we walked through the quiet park. Only a few people were still out, and we were taking a shortcut home through the park to avoid the people on the streets. The sun disappeared behind the horizon, and I stopped when Inuyasha stopped. I sensed him tense and watched as he slowly transformed from hanyou to human. That was why we avoided the streets. If anyone had seen a guy with silver hair walking down the street that suddenly turned black, well they would wonder.  
  
"You alright?" I asked once his transformation was complete. He opened his now violet eyes and looked at me, the lights on the path allowing me to see him clearly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm ok, I just feel a little helpless and uneasy, that's all."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yup." He smiled a little and started to walk again. We were getting towards the middle of the park and no one was around. It felt kind of eerie, and I had this feeling as though we were being watched. I jumped when I heard a twig snap, and felt Inuyasha tense beside me, pulling me close to him.  
  
"Who's there?" He called into the darkness. Only a few lights lit this part of the park, and everything else was pitch black. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the shadows of one of the lights and it slowly stepped into the light.  
  
"Hojo?" I asked surprised to see him again.  
  
"Higurashi." He said darkly. My eyes widened as he pulled a gun from his belt, the metal glinting from the light.  
  
"Hojo, w-what..." He just continued to glare, the gun aimed towards me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and watched Inuyasha step in front of me, a cold look on his face.  
  
"What do you want Hobo?" He asked coldly. Hojo narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Get away from Kagome you filth." He said. There was a loud noise and I watched as Inuyasha fell backwards to the ground a couple meters in front of me. My eyes widened in shock and I ran to his side, falling to my knees beside him.  
  
"Move again Higurashi, and you're next." My eyes widened even more if possible.  
  
"Hojo, why are you doing this?" I yelled to him, my eyes going from him to Inuyasha. He was bleeding from a wound in the left shoulder, the blood staining the snow beneath us crimson. I had to get him out of here.  
  
"Why? WHY?" Hojo shouted angrily. "Because you toyed with me!"  
  
"Hojo, I did not toy with you!" I said standing up. "I already explained everything, I thought you'd understand!" I said taking a few steps towards him.  
  
"Don't move Higurashi!"  
  
"Hojo!" I yelled. "Please stop this!" I took another step forward, hoping that he'd relax and that he'd listen.  
  
"I said don't move!" He shouted. Everything that happened next was a blur. I heard the gun go off again and then there was a blur of black and I was shoved to the side. I heard a gasp of pain, and looked up to see Inuyasha stumble backwards, taking the bullet that was meant for me. I saw his eyes gleam with determination, and he ran at Hojo. Another shot was fired and I saw Inuyasha flinch. I heard Hojo screaming, but I didn't understand any of it, my mind focused on Inuyasha. I watched as he knocked the gun from Hojo's hand and then as he continuously punched him. Hojo finally fell to the ground, and didn't move. Then I saw Inuyasha fall.  
  
"INUYASHA!" I screamed as I ran towards him. I reached him, and was instantly on my knees beside him. I lifted his upper body up and gently shook him. "Inuyasha, wake up, please wake up!" I yelled. He eyes fluttered and opened slowly. Tears poured from my eyes at the pain that his eyes held.  
  
"Kagome..." he whispered out. I put my finger to his lips.  
  
"Shh..." He shook his head.  
  
"Kagome, leave me. Go... Go get help..." He whispered, his voice strained.  
  
"I can't leave you here!"  
  
"Yes, you can." He smiled. "Don't worry... I won't die... just go get help... please..."  
  
I nodded slowly and laid him down on the ground. "I'll be back soon." I said and ran. I reached the park exit and ran to the nearest phone booth. I reached in my pocket and pulled out change. My hands shook and it all spilled to the floor. I bent down quickly picking it up, my eyes blurred with tears. I put the money into the phone and dialed the only place I could think of. I called home.  
  
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Alright everyone, that's it for chapter 11. Dang that was long. I hope it was alright. I had this idea with the Hojo and all, so I tried it. Like it? Hate it? Let me know. Sorry to leave you all with a cliffie. Please don't kill me. *begs * I'll be gone this weekend to a wedding, and I'll try to post next week, though it may be next weekend.  
  
Please Review!  
  
Ja ne~! 


	12. Must Go On

Hello everyone. I am so sorry for leaving you all with that cliffie for so long. I've been packed down with homework and it's really sucked. But now I'm on Spring Break, so I should be able to update a little more often. Once again, I am really sorry, so without further delay, here's the next chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 12  
  
~ Inuyasha's POV ~  
  
I watched Kagome run off, disappearing into a swirl of snow that was beginning to fall once again. I looked around with my eyes, seeing if anything was near. There was nothing except for the motionless body of the asshole that attacked us. Damnit, why did that asshole have to attack on the one night I'm human? Do I really that much bad luck?  
  
No, I don't have that much bad luck. If I did then I wouldn't have Kagome. Someone so perfect and beautiful would've never become my mate if I had had a lot of bad luck. She's the one good thing that has happened in my life. The one and only.  
  
But didn't I think that Kikyo was the best thing in my life before? I did, but I foolish. I had found someone that was in a similar situation that I was in, mind you she wasn't hated by both humans and demons, she wasn't an orphan, her sibling didn't want to rid the land of her being, she had a home, and she had people who cared about her.  
  
Now that I think of it, we weren't in the same situation. She had it a lot better off than I did. Damn, I was a fucking idiot. Geez, maybe I should've thanked Naraku for making me and her betray each other. It was probably the best thing that could've happened because if it hadn't, then I wouldn't have met Kagome.  
  
I was brought out of my thoughts by a sound to my left. I turned my head slightly, my eyes widening. That asshole was getting up! Shit, Shit, Shit! I used my arms and pushed myself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain that was bringing water to my eyes. I would not let myself become easy prey for this psychopathic human. I slowly got into a crouching position, my body burning with pain of my wounds, blood dripping out of me to the already tainted snow beneath me.  
  
I looked over at the human, Hojo was it? I glared as I watched him rise to his feet, holding his head and stumbling back a few steps. I willed myself to stand, grasping the metal pole thing that was near me for support. I was panting heavily from my effort to rise, and my vision was becoming blurred. I rubbed my one eye to get rid of the haziness, when I heard a low chuckle. I lowered my hand to see Hojo at full height, his eyes wide, a grin plastered on his face.  
  
"You're not dead yet, that's good. It means I can mess with you a little more, make you suffer a slow painful death. I'll make you feel the pain that I felt when you took Kagome away from me." I heard him threaten.  
  
"She... was never yours to begin with bastard." I growled out, though it sounded weak and hoarse. He narrowed his eyes, a cold look casting over his face.  
  
"DIE!" he yelled and charged at me. My eyes widened at his sudden speed and I pushed against the pole to get myself out of the way. I stumbled, somehow maintaining my balance, only to see him come at me again. I felt a sharp pain dig into my side, and hissed, stumbling back away from him. I put a hand to my side and felt the blood leak out of my new wound.  
  
"Not so quick now are you?" I heard him laugh.  
  
I'm losing too much blood... this isn't good. I saw him charge again, but I couldn't move. I felt is knee collide with my stomach, and his fist connect with my throat. I fell back against the cold ground, sliding backwards until my back hit a tree. I watched him as he slowly walked towards me, my vision covered with a haze that wouldn't go away. I willed my body to move, to do anything, but it wouldn't.  
  
So this is it? I die here, in a different era, as a human, by a human. Kind of ironic isn't it? Me, a proud tough hanyou that won countless battles against demons who were stronger than me and survived on my own from age 5, was now going to be killed by a weaker being who just so happened to get lucky and find me human. But why should I fight it? There's nothing I can do... I can't even move. I felt his hand wrap around my neck, lifting me up against the tree. Time was up, game over...  
  
Then an image flashed in my mind. Kagome was kneeling on the ground, surrounded by all our friends. Sango was being held by Miroku, silently crying while the monk comforted her, Kirara rubbing against their feet. Shippo was at Kagome's side, hugging her as best he could. Tears poured down the young kit's face, but he made no sound nor move to wipe them away. Then there was Kagome. She had her face buried in her hands, sobbing hysterically. She was kneeling before a rock and flowers laid out on the ground, her tears falling to the fresh soil below. She pulled her hands away and stared at the rock. Her eyes were red from crying, her face pale, creeks stained by her tears. Her lips moved and I heard her whisper faintly. 'Inuyasha....'  
  
My eyes opened wide as the vision faded. I can't die, Kagome needs me. I can't let her feel that kind of pain.  
  
"Go to Hell!" I heard Hojo yell as he raised the bloodied knife to my throat.  
  
"You first asshole!" I spit in his face, and kneed him in the groin. He left go of me, and I hit the ground hard, my head getting knocked back against the tree. I watched with blurred vision and he stumbled backwards a ways, obviously in pain. Suddenly I saw other blurred figures surround him aiming weapons similar to what he had used on me, at him.  
  
"Freeze!" I heard one yell. I watched as Hojo collapsed against the ground, and hold up his arms. The figures moved in on him as he surrendered. I felt my body go numb with pain, my vision becoming dark around the edges. I saw some figures running towards me and smiled slightly.  
  
"Kagome..." I whispered as I fell sideways to the ground. My eyes closed the blackness completely taking me. The last thing I heard was my name being called by the one I love.  
  
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There you go people. Sorry it's so short, and it's a cliffhanger. Gomen nasai! I promise to update ASAP because I don't want to make you all mad at me. Please don't be mad.  
  
Please Review!  
  
Ja ne till next time~! 


	13. Waiting

Hi everyone. Here's the update I promised. Thanks for the reviews, I really enjoy hearing what you guys think about my fic. I'll try to get another chapter out soon after this one. I don't know how long this fic will be, probably as long as I can get ideas for it. ^^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 13  
  
~ Kagome's POV ~  
  
Two weeks. Two weeks since that night. I look over at the still form of my love lying in the hospital bed. He has a few machines hooked up to him, bandages covering his wound and one wrapped around his head. His black hair was tired back in a loose ponytail to keep in out of the way. Yes, black hair. That night, my mother stayed with him as they took him to the hospital, and I ran back to the Feudal Era. I told everyone what was going on, and had Miroku make a concealing spell, using my miko powers to make it work. The spell weakened his demon blood enough so that he was human, but it also slowed his healing. I had hated to leave Inuyasha, but what would the doctors have done if the sun rose and his hair suddenly became silver and dog-ears appeared on his head? They'd probably knock him out and take him away to do tests on him, make him a specimen, an experiment.  
  
I shook my head to clear the thoughts that came to my mind. No, they wouldn't take him away from me, no one would. I moved my chair closer to his bed, taking his hand in mine and placing it against my cheek. I felt a small tear slide down my cheek onto his hand. Nothing was going to take him, he was gonna make it through this and go back to being his usual arrogant, annoying, sweet at times self.  
  
I heard the door open and wiped the tears from my eyes, placing Inuyasha's hand back by his side, but not removing my hand from his. I looked to the doorway to see the doctor standing there. He walked over and looked at mine and Inuyasha's linked hands and smiled sadly.  
  
"Miss Higurashi, we got back the results from some of the tests we took." I tensed up, scared as to what he might say. "Don't worry Miss, he's going to be alright once he heals. The bullets all missed vital areas as we told you, and there is no trace of any poisoning from the bullets in his blood stream. Once he awakes, we'll need to question him a bit, and run some final things before he can be released."  
  
I sighed in relief. He was going to be ok. I smiled and looked at Inuyasha, sadness running through me. But how long would he be asleep for? Would he even ever wake up? I shook my head once again to clear my thoughts.  
  
"Um, Miss Higurashi, we also got the tests back that we ran on you and I think I should share them with you before I talk with your mother." The doctor spoke. I turned to him and blinked a couple times. They had run some tests because my mother asked them too. She said I was acting strangely, and my eating habits were different. To be quite honest, I didn't even remember the tests, or what they were. My mind was too focused on Inuyasha.  
  
"And what are the results?" I asked quietly. I hadn't spoken for a while and my voice was a little choked from no use and all my crying.  
  
"Well, Miss Higurashi, we discovered that you're a couple weeks pregnant." He said. I stared at him like his was crazy.  
  
"What? How can I be..." my eyes widened as I remembered the night Inuyasha and I had become mates, bonded for life. A smile crept onto my face and I gripped Inuyasha's hand a little tighter.  
  
"Would you like me to tell your mother Miss Higurashi?" His words hit me, crashing my happy little world. My mother, what would she think? Would she hate me? Would she hate Inuyasha? Even worse, would she make me give up the baby?  
  
No, I couldn't tell her, not yet. I wouldn't be able to face her alone, I need Inuyasha with me when I tell her. If she disapproves then... then I'll leave with Inuyasha and not come back. But would it be that easy to leave here, the place I grew up?  
  
"N-No, I'll tell her myself, w-when I'm ready." The doctor nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
I looked over at Inuyasha. I'll think about my mother later. I held his hand and laid my head on the pillow beside his. It was an awkward position, but I had gotten used to it for the past couple weeks.  
  
"Did you hear him Inuyasha?" I asked him, my voice barely a whisper. I had heard from one of the nurses that people who fall into short comas, can sometimes hear the people around them, even if they're unconscious. So, I had developed the habit of talking to Inuyasha quietly while no one was around.  
  
"I'm pregnant, love. We're going to have a baby." I smiled and kissed his cheek. "You have to wake up soon... I miss you so much." I whispered. I could feel water gather in my eyes, but I didn't bother to wipe them away. They fell freely down my cheeks, making the white pillow damp wherever they hit.  
  
My eyes grew a little heavy, and I closed them. I felt tired from everything that was going on. I hadn't slept much since the incident and it was starting to take its toll on my body. I opened my eyes again and kissed Inuyasha lightly on the cheek before closing my eyes once again.  
  
"Good night, my love."  
  
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I felt something lightly shaking me and I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. I blinked a few times and looked to see who had woken me up. I turned and saw my mom standing there with my threes friends, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka. I smiled at them and stood up, immediately receiving a hug from each of my friends.  
  
"Kagome dear, why don't you go speak with your friends, and get something to eat in the cafeteria. I can keep an eye on him and let you know when he wakes up." My mom suggested.  
  
"Mom, I can't. I want to be here the moment he wakes up." I said.  
  
"Kagome, you're wearing yourself out. Go on, you need to eat something, and it will be good for you to get out of this stuffy room for a while."  
  
"But mom..." I said quietly. I didn't want to leave him. I felt like if I went and enjoyed myself with my friends for even a little while, that I was somehow hurting him by having fun while he was here, unconscious with a few wounds still healing.  
  
"Go Kagome." My mom said, pushing me towards the door. I reluctantly went with my friends, glancing back at the room.  
  
We got to the cafeteria and got something to eat, finding a table by the open window. I sat closest to the window and picked at my food. I wasn't really hungry, but my mom was right, I needed to eat something. Besides, I'm eating for two now. With that thought now in my mind, I ate my food, and then went up and got some more. My friends talked about things going on at school, things I was missing out on, and how Hojo was in jail for assault with a weapon.  
  
"I can't believe he turned like that." Eri said. "I mean Hojo was such a nice guy."  
  
"Well he did seem a little too nice at times." Ayumi commented.  
  
"Yeah, he must've been totally unstable underneath his nice guy act." Yuka stated, taking a sip of her water.  
  
"So..." Ayumi turned to me. It seemed like they were just talking amongst themselves, while I sat there not even really listening, only catching bits and pieces.  
  
"Yeah?" I asked, my voice still somewhat quiet. I really didn't want to talk about that night, it had been to painful.  
  
"Who exactly is the guy you've been here with and when did you meet him?" Eri asked before Ayumi could say anything. Ayumi sighed and shook her head, while I looked up at Eri.  
  
"He... He's my husband." I told them quietly. "I met him a while ago, before Hojo even asked me out in the first place, but we didn't realize we loved each other until just recently." I looked at my friends to see them gaping at me, their eyes wide. "W-What?"  
  
"You have..." Yuka stumbled.  
  
"A husband?!" Eri practically yelled. I shrunk in my chair at the people in the cafeteria looked our way. I wanted to crawl away, back to Inuyasha's room and curl up to hide from the world. Sure I'm a little young in this modern era to have a husband, well technically a mate, but they didn't have to make a big deal out of it.  
  
"Be quiet you two." Ayumi said as she gave both Eri and Yuka a light tap on the head. "Congratulations Kagome." She said smiling at me. "I'm glad you found happiness."  
  
"I have." I smiled, a picture of Inuyasha popping into my head.  
  
"So, when did it happen?" Yuka asked quietly.  
  
"The day before Hojo attacked us." I said quietly. "I hadn't gotten a chance to tell Hojo about him, and when he saw me and him together that day, I tried to explain to him what had happened, but he didn't like what I had told him." I slowly grew angry, tears forming in my eyes at the memory of that day. "Then that fucking bastard attacked us while we were walking home! He deserves to suffer for what he did!"  
  
I looked at my friends, and around the cafeteria. People were staring at me in shock, their eyes wide, some with their mouths hung open. I couldn't take the staring, so I ran. I ran straight to Inuyasha's room, and closed the door, locking it. I walked over to his bed, and collapsed on my knees beside it, crying with my head in my arms on the bed. Why did all this have to happen? Why? So many things were going wrong, it just hurt so much.  
  
I continued crying but was pulled from my thoughts when I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I didn't acknowledge the person, but cried harder.  
  
"Kagome, what's wrong?" My eyes widened and I lifted my head to look at the speaker. My eyes met violet eyes that held concern and love. I froze and stared at him, tears still falling, but a smile appearing on my face.  
  
"Inuyasha!" I cried as I stood and wrapped my arms around tightly, somehow managing to get onto the bed when I jumped. "I missed you so much..." I cried against his chest. I felt him wrap his arms around me, and pull me closer to him.  
  
"It's alright koi." I heard him whisper. "Everything will be alright."  
  
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There you go everyone, chapter 13 finished. It's a longer than the last one and there's no cliffhanger this time! ^^ Tell me what you all think. Like it? Hate it?  
  
Please Review. The more reviews, the faster I'll work to get another chapter up.  
  
Ja ne minna~! 


	14. Nervous

Hey everyone, sorry for not updating in a while. I went out of town Saturday morning and was gone till Sunday night, then on Monday I went fishing for the whole day and was exhausted afterward. Then today I woke up at 1pm and had to clean the house. *sigh * I was hoping to update more often over break... sorry. Oh, thank you for all the reviews, I'm really glad all of you are enjoying this fic. ^^ Alright, enough of me talking, here's the update.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 14  
  
~ Inuyasha's POV ~  
  
I just laid there as Kagome cried into me, gently rubbing her back trying to comfort her. I noticed my weak senses and realized I was still human. I glanced out the window and saw the sun disappear beyond the horizon and the moon rise into the darkened sky. But how could that be? I was human, but it wasn't the new moon. What the hell happened?  
  
"Inuyasha?" I heard Kagome ask quietly, bringing me from my thoughts.  
  
"How long was I out for?" I asked her, my eyes still looking out the window.  
  
"About two weeks..." she whispered causing my eyes to widen a bit, but before I could say anything she continued. "You're in a hospital in my time, a place where you go to see a healer. Since you were human when you were brought here and I didn't know how humans here would react when you turned hanyou, I went and got a concealing spell from Miroku. It weakened your demon blood enough to keep you demonic features hidden, but it also slowed down your healing. That's why you've been here so long." She said quietly.  
  
I sat there and absorbed what she had said. So these humans didn't know I had demon blood in my veins. That's good. But I've been unconscious for two weeks. That's not good.  
  
I sighed and turned my gaze from the window to the girl in my arms. She looked a little pale, her eyes were still red from crying, her face flushed, and she had dark circles under her eyes. I held her to me, her head resting on my chest, and I gently kissed her head.  
  
"Doesn't look like you've been taking care of yourself." I said quietly.  
  
"I've been too worried about you..." she whispered. I placed my hand under her chin and lifted her face, bringing my lips to hers. I kissed her softly and then pulled away, lying back against the slightly raised bed and letting her head rest once again on my chest.  
  
"Well you shouldn't have to." I whispered back. "Get some rest Kagome, you don't have to worry anymore."  
  
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I sighed and stared at the ceiling. Kagome had fallen asleep a little while ago, and I had been a little bored, not wanting to fall back asleep. I had found the spell scroll on the back of my neck that keep my demonic side suppressed and wanted nothing more than to rip the paper off so that I could get my sensed back and breath in my mate's scent. I tried to pull it off, but it shocked me when I touched it. I was annoyed, so I decided to glare at the ceiling, which was now boring. I felt Kagome shift, and looked down at her, my eyes meeting her dark blue ones.  
  
"That wasn't long." I said, smiling down at her. She smiled a small smile back at me and looked away. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Well, I had a short dream..." she whispered. I stayed quiet and she continued. "and it reminded me of something."  
  
"And that something would be?"  
  
"Inuyasha, I... I'm pregnant." She whispered, still looking away as to not meet my eyes. I stared at her, her words slowly sinking in. My eyes widened thinking I had heard her wrong.  
  
"You're what?" I asked, still a little shocked.  
  
"I'm pregnant, we're going to have a child." She said, now looking up at me, a smile on her face, tears forming in her eyes. I stared down at her, and smiled softly, holding her closer to me.  
  
"Kagome, that's wonderful." I whispered to her.  
  
"We'll have to tell the others when we go back." She smiled. I smiled back, but a thought popped in my head.  
  
"Kagome, have you told your mother?" I asked. I felt her tense, and hold onto me tighter. "Kagome?"  
  
"No..." she whispered. "I don't know what she'll think knowing that her daughter is already mated and going to have a child that has demon blood in it."  
  
"It'll be ok." I whispered, though I too was a little nervous about her mother's reaction.  
  
"But what if it isn't? What if she forbids me to see you and then makes me get rid of our child?" she asked quietly, as I saw tears fall down her cheeks. I gently brushed them away with my thumb.  
  
"I won't let that happen Kagome. You're my mate, and it's our pup. No one will ever take you away or it away." I told her, my forehead now resting against hers. "No one will separate us."  
  
She nodded and I sat up, pulling her into my lap. I flinched slightly at the little bit of pressure on my thigh wound, but ignored it, focusing only on comforting my mate. I held her to me, and gently nuzzled her neck, rubbing her back with my hands.  
  
"I love you." I whispered in her ear.  
  
"I love you too." She whispered back, turning her head, causing our lips to meet.  
  
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After our kiss, we had stayed like that a little longer, until Kagome had to get up and go find her mother and the doctor, to tell them I was awake. I had laid there for a while, when a lady in white came in and checked my injuries. She then left, leaving a pair of clothes for me to change into.  
  
I slipped the shirt over my head, and heard someone else walk in. I looked to see Kagome standing in the doorway watching me. I slipped on the 'shoes' that the woman had left and walked over to her. Before I reached her though, I stepped on something and fell flat on my face. I heard laughing and lifted myself from the floor to see Kagome next to me laughing.  
  
"You didn't tie them baka." She said as she crouched down and tied the strings on the 'shoes'. I tried to growl, but since I was still human, it didn't exactly come out right, causing her to laugh more.  
  
When she finished, she stood up, and helped me up, though I really didn't need it. She took my hand and led me out of the room and down the hallway.  
  
"The doctor said that you can leave, but you have to take it easy for a while." She told me as we walked down the stairs.  
  
"Feh, once I get this scroll off my neck, I'll be fine within a matter of a couple hours." I told her and we reached the bottom of the stairs. She smiled at me and led me to a large metal thing, I think she called it a bus before. We got on and sat in the back. I looked at her as she looked out the window, a serious and scared look on her face.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" I asked her quietly, squeezing her hand gently.  
  
"What to tell my mom and when..." she said, her voice full of fear and uncertainty.  
  
"We'll tell her the truth." I told her, wrapping my arms around her.  
  
"But when?" she asked, the fear only leaving her voice a little.  
  
"How about when we get back?"  
  
"That soon?" she asked a little surprised.  
  
"The sooner the better Kagome."  
  
"I... I know..." she said, looking down a little. I kissed her temple and held her close, and she relaxed against me. Suddenly the bus stopped.  
  
"We're here." Kagome whispered. I nodded and stood, helping her stand by taking her hand in mine. I kept a hold of her hand, and led her off the bus. We walked up the stairs, and she hesitantly opened the door to her house. We stepped in and removed our shoes. She peeled the scroll off my neck and I could feel the power return to my body.  
  
"Thanks." I said, and she just nodded. I could sense her fear even more now, and wrapped my arms tightly around her, pulling her to my chest. "It's going to be alright."  
  
"I know..." she whispered.  
  
"Then shall we get it over with?" I felt her nod hesitantly, and let go of her, taking her hand once again in mine. We walked to the kitchen as it was called, and Mrs. Higurashi was there cooking some food. I felt my mate tense and squeezed her hand to let her know I was there with her and wouldn't let anything happen. I felt her relax, but only slightly.  
  
"Mama..." she said hesitantly. "I... We have to tell you something."  
  
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There you have it everyone, chapter 14. I'm sorry to leave you all with a cliffhanger, but my mind needs to form how they're going to tell Mrs. H and what her reaction will be. This chapter was a little tough to write cause I didn't know where I was going to go with it, but I knew I had to get one out. Tell me how it is.  
  
Please review!  
  
Ja ne~! 


	15. The Truth Comes Out

Hey everyone! I am really sorry about the cliffhanger, so I'm gonna be nice and update. ^^; eh heh heh... Thank you for all the reviews, though it seems like the longer this fic gets, the less reviews I get... but to those who are faithful and reading my fic, I thank you a thousand times over. *hands out random snacks and packs or ramen *  
  
Special Message: To those of you who read Crash, I think I'm going to keep that a one-shot, because I just can't think of where to take the story. If anyone has any ideas for it though, let me know.  
  
Now without further delay, the next chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 15  
  
~ Kagome's POV ~  
  
It was an understatement to say that I was a little worried about my mom's reaction. I was scared. What if she didn't approve and everything goes wrong?  
  
"What is it dear?" I heard my mom ask me, as she turned around and wiped her hands on her apron. I motioned to the table, and she sat down in one of the chairs. I sat down across from her with Inuyasha standing right behind me, one hand linked with mine and the other on my shoulder. I felt better with him here with me, and I gained the courage to talk.  
  
"Well mama, you see," I said inhaling a deep breath before continuing, "I... I mean, Inuyasha and I... we're... we're mates."  
  
"Mates?" she asked staring at me with a blank look on her face.  
  
"Y-Yes... it means that we're... married." I said, watching her face for her reaction. I was startled at the shocked look. D-Did she approve? We sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up.  
  
"When did this happen?" she asked, her voice quiet and emotionless.  
  
"The day before Hojo attacked us in the park." I said nervously. "And there's something else, mama."  
  
"Oh?" she asked, looking from me to Inuyasha and back. I took a deep breath and felt Inuyasha squeeze my hand again. It was now or never.  
  
"Mama, I'm pregnant." I said, my eyes looking directly at her, never wavering. I heard her gasp and rise from her seat.  
  
"You're WHAT?!" she yelled in surprise and anger. "You're married and you're pregnant? You're too young!"  
  
"I am not too young!" I yelled back, rising out of my chair as well. "A lot of girls back in the Feudal Era have already been married for years and have more than one kid by the time they reach my age!"  
  
"But you're from this era, not that damned Feudal Era!" She yelled back.  
  
"I don't care! I love Inuyasha and he loves me!" I shouted.  
  
"You're too young to know what love is! You both are!" She yelled. Suddenly she stepped forward and grabbed my wrist, dragging me out of the kitchen and to the stairs. "Get up to your room!" she yelled. I was about to yell when she turned to Inuyasha, who had followed her, growling. "And as for you, I was alright with you and my daughter being companions because she got protection from you, but you've gone too far. Get out of my house! I never want you near my daughter again you filthy mutt!"  
  
"I'm not leaving without Kagome." He growled back at her, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Don't you dare growl at me you dog!" she yelled.  
  
"I'll growl at anyone threatening to take away my mate bitch!" he snarled. Suddenly my mom stepped forward and did one of the worst things she could've done. She slapped Inuyasha, hard, right across the cheek.  
  
"Get out you disgusting half breed." She said, her voice full of anger. I stared, my eyes full of tears, when I saw Inuyasha's eyes flash red. My eyes widened as he stepped back and growled angrily at my mom, his eyes flashing red again. I looked to his hip, only to realize Tetsusaiga wasn't there, it was in my room.  
  
"Wrong move you fucking bitch." I heard him growl, and notice the red already covering most of the gold in his eyes. He cracked his knuckles and flexed his claws, crouching down. My eyes widened ever more. He's going to attack her!  
  
"Inuyasha, Stop!" I yelled before he took one step towards my mom. He looked over at me, his red eyes narrowed. "Inuyasha, please, just go." I said, tears falling down my cheeks. I saw his eyes widen and the crimson slowly start to leave his eyes. "Leave for now and come back tonight." I whispered quiet enough so that only he would hear me. He nodded slightly and rose from his crouched position before sending one last glare at my mother before leaving without a word.  
  
"Kagome, I'm sorry, but I'm only doing what's best for you. With him out of your life, you can return to being a normal girl." I heard my mother say as she turned to me. I stared at her in disbelief and I felt my anger rise.  
  
"Normal? NORMAL?!" I shouted. "Mom, I can never be normal as you say, and I don't want to be."  
  
"You will do as you're told."  
  
"I will do whatever the hell I want and you won't stop me!" I yelled back and ran up to my room, slamming the door and locking it. I put my textbooks in front of it, and then got a box and shoved that in front of the door as well. I wiped my eyes, and grabbed my yellow backpack, opening my closet. I shoved some clothes inside, and a few books, as well as some possessions of mine.  
  
I then went to my desk and grabbed the first aid kit, and other things that I would normally take to the Feudal Era with me, shoving them into my backpack as well. I snapped it shut and set it on my bed, before grabbing a small duffel bag and putting a few more things in it. I looked under my bed and grabbed Tetsusaiga, setting it by my backpack, and pulled out a box that was hidden behind it.  
  
I lifted the lid of the box and found a bunch of little things that I had hidden away to be cherished. I flipped through postcards from long ago when I had been at camp, and little treasures from times spent with family and friends. In there was also a photo of everyone back in the Feudal Era. I smiled at the memory. It had been difficult to get them to agree to have the photo taken, and I had to teach a villager how to use my camera. I stared at the picture when I noticed something behind it. I pulled out an envelope and opened it slowly. Inside were pictures of my family. I flipped through them until I got to an older looking one. I looked at it and felt tears form in my eyes.  
  
It was a photo of me and my father. We had been at the beach, and had completed the perfect sandcastle only to have it washed away by the ocean. I had been sad, but the next day I had walked out of our rented beach house to see a huge sandcastle and my dad asleep beside it, covered in sand. He had spent the whole night building a new one for me. In the picture we were both sitting in front of the sandcastle, huge smiles on our face.  
  
I wiped away my tears and smiled at the picture. My dad would've been happy for me for finding Inuyasha. He would've wanted us together. I put the photos back in the box and placed the lid back on top before putting it inside my duffel bag. I then grabbed my camera, a bunch of batteries and film, shoving them into the bag too. I zipped it shut and sat on my bed. I looked around my room. So many memories, so many years growing up here, and I was leaving it. But I was doing the right thing. I wouldn't be able to live without Inuyasha, nor our pup.  
  
I smiled and placed a hand on my stomach. All there was left to do was wait until the sunset and Inuyasha showed up to take me away. Away from my old life to begin a new.  
  
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Alright, that's the end of the chapter. How was it? I know it's a little short, but my mom is on my back trying to get me to do some housework. I know some of you were hoping Mrs. Higurashi would take it well, but then where would the story go from there? Don't worry, I have some idea of where this is going... I think... o.O  
  
Please review to tell me what you think!  
  
Ja ne minna~! 


	16. Going Back

Hey everyone! I finally found a chance to update. School is too much and the only day that I have off from now until mid June, is Memorial Day... and that's only one day... it sucks. Anyway, thank you for all the reviews, I really enjoy hearing what you all have to say about my fic. ^^  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 16  
  
~ Inuyasha's POV ~  
  
I hid myself on the roof of one of the shrine's buildings, and stayed there. Why did her mother have to be that way, why couldn't she just accept us being together? It's because I'm hanyou, part youkai. Our pup will be part youkai too, so that's why she wanted it gone too.  
  
I growled and punched the roof. What the hell is wrong with people? Why can't they accept me for what I am? A sound interrupted my thoughts and I looked down at the house to see Kagome opening her window a little bit. She disappeared back into her room and I looked to where the sun had just disappeared behind the horizon. Just a little while longer and we'd be out of here, away from this place.  
  
I glanced over the city and the shrine. Kagome was willing to leave all this so that she could be with me. Was I really worth that much, that she's willing to leave her home so suddenly for who knows how long? I mean, sure she used to leave here all the time for shard hunts, but she would only stay for a week and then come back here. Now, who knows when or if she's even going to want to come back here.  
  
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I laid back on the roof that I was on and stared up at the sky, watching the mood steadily rise higher. Just a little longer...  
  
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"Inuyasha, are you out there?" My ears twitched at the voice. I sat up and saw Kagome looking out her window, opening it all the way. She looked around and then went back into her room. She didn't see me. I stretched and jumped down from the roof to the ground below. Time had passed slowly, and I think I fell asleep for a little bit.  
  
I walked over to the house, careful not to make any sound, and I jumped up to Kagome's window. I landed and looked in. She was lying on her stomach on her bed, facing the door. I leaned a little more into the room and noticed her writing something.  
  
"Kagome?" I asked quietly, but loud enough for her to hear. She jumped a little and turned to me.  
  
"Don't scare me like that." She said sitting up.  
  
"You knew I was coming, so how could you be scared?" I smirked. She narrowed her eyes a little at me, but the looked down at the papers in her hand, folding the up and writing something on each of them. "What are those?"  
  
"Notes to my family, telling them what's going on and where I'm going." She said, getting up and placing the letters on her desk. "I have to left Grandpa and Souta know, and I can't exactly go tell them."  
  
I nodded and climbed into her room all the way. "Are these what you're taking?" I asked motioning to the bags on her bed.  
  
"Yeah. Tetsusaiga is there too." She said putting on her heavy coat from earlier. I moved one of the bags and picked up Tetsusaiga. I went to slide it through the part of my fire rat pants, only to realize I was still wearing clothes from this era.  
  
"Uh... Kagome, where's my kimono?" She looked over at me and blinked.  
  
"Oh, it's downstairs. I'll go get it, everyone is asleep, so I should be able to." She said opening her door. She walked out and I heard her soft footsteps as she went down the stairs. I picked up the bags and slug them over my shoulder, laying Tetsusaiga back on the bed.  
  
She came back up a few minutes later, my kimono in her arms, and a pair of shoes in hand and a pair of those boot things in another. She took one of the bags from my shoulders and opened it placing my kimono inside and the pair of shoes. She handed the bag back to me and I looked at her a little confused.  
  
"You can change into your kimono when we get back. Right now we have to go, I think my mom heard me downstairs." She said sliding her feet into the boots. I nodded and picked her up in my arms. She looked a little startled at first, but then snuggled against me. I jumped out the window, and ran to the well house. I set her down, and she opened the door. We stepped inside and walked over to the well.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" I asked looking at her. She turned her gaze from the well to me and smiled.  
  
"Would we be this far if I wasn't?" She kissed me lightly and I picked her back up in my arms. I smiled down at her and leapt into the well. The familiar blue aura surrounded us and pulled us through to the other side. My feet touched the cold snow in the bottom of the well, and I looked up to see the night sky above us, the stars shining brightly. I jumped out of the well, Kagome still in my arms, and took in a deep breath. It was good to be back. The air was lighter, cleaner and everything was calm, at least now it was.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered. I looked down at her, and she curled up in my arms more.  
  
"Hmm?" I asked quietly. She looked up at me, her eyes a little watery.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked.  
  
"Nothing, I'm just... tired, that's all. Can we go to the village now?" I nodded, though I knew that she wasn't telling the truth, but I didn't want to push her. I leaned my head down, and kissed her softly, before walking towards the village.  
  
The snow was a little less here than in the modern era, so it wasn't hard to walk through. The cold wind stirred around us, and I could feel Kagome shiver in my arms. I held her closer and quickened my pace. We got to the edge of the village just as it began to snow again. The small white flakes fell slowly at first but picked up as we reached Kaede's hut.  
  
I moved aside the flap quietly, expecting everyone to be sleeping, but when I walked in, they were sitting around a fire. Miroku who was facing the doorway widened his eyes when I had stepped inside carrying Kagome. He stood up causing Sango and Kaede to look and take notice of our presence.  
  
"Inuyasha..." Miroku blinked. His eyes went to Kagome and widened a little. "Is Lady Kagome ok?"  
  
I nodded. "She fell asleep on the walk here." I said, walking over to a futon placed near the far corner of the room. I laid her down on it and removed her boots and coat. I then opened one of the bags and pulled my haori from it. I covered her with it and closed the bag back up, setting both bags down at the foot of the futon. I sighed and sat down beside her, my back against the way. I ran a hand through my bangs and looked at the group. They stared at me with confused looks and I shook my head.  
  
"Long story, we'll tell you tomorrow." I told them quietly as to not wake Kagome. They nodded but still stared. "What?" I asked somewhat annoyed with them starring.  
  
"Are ye alright Inuyasha?" Kaede asked me.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Kagome came back a couple weeks ago and said you were badly injured. She got a scroll from Miroku to conceal your demon blood, and we knew it would slow your healing. We're just a little surprised to see you up and moving, though we really shouldn't be." Sango said.  
  
"Feh." I said half-heartedly. I yawned and rubbed one of my eyes. "I still am a little weak from my injuries, but since Kagome removed the scroll and my demon blood is no longer weakened, then I should be fine by tomorrow." I said before yawning again. Damnit, why am I yawning so much?  
  
"Ye look tired, Inuyasha." Kaede said rising from her spot on the floor.  
  
"Yeah, well it's been a long day." I said.  
  
"I'm sure it has." She said and then turned to Miroku and Sango. "Ye two should get some sleep as well." They nodded and got up, moving to their futons. I noticed that Shippo and Kirara were already asleep on Sango's futon and she laid down beside them. Miroku laid on his futon, which was closer to Sango's than usual. I yawned again, causing my eyes to close, and I jumped when I felt something fall on top of me. I looked down at a blanket that was now on top of me and looked up at Kaede.  
  
"It is cold, ye should have something to keep you warm." She said before walking to a different room of the hut to sleep. I sighed and looked around the hut again. Everyone already had their eyes closed, and their breathing was slow and rhythmic. I slide down to lay on the floor beside Kagome, and pulled the blanket around myself some more. It actually was pretty cold.  
  
I looked at Kagome and smiled. She was curled up on her side underneath my haori, facing me. I gently brushed a couple strands of hair from her forehead and gently kissed her.  
  
"Good night Kagome." I whispered, pulling the blanket up around my neck some more for warmth. My eyes drifted shut and I felt myself fade off into a peaceful unconsciousness.  
  
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There you have it, chapter 16. I know it's not long, and there's not much to it. The thing is, that I think my first week back to school after two weeks off has really drained my brain. I promise to try and get some better ideas, and hopefully update again soon, though it's probably back to the updates once a week. Sorry everyone.  
  
Please review!!!  
  
Ja ne for now ~! 


	17. Truth Told

Hi everyone! I am so sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. I've been swamped with stuff... Anyway, not much to say, so on with the chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Winter's Night: Chapter 17  
  
~ Kagome's POV ~  
  
I looked around, nothing but blackness surrounding me. I called out faintly to my love, hoping he was there, and safe. I took a few hesitant steps, but stopped when a light appeared before me. A figure stood, shrouded in the darkness, just outside the light.  
  
"H-Hello?" I asked. My voice trembled, though I tried to act bravely.  
  
"Kagome..." the voice whispered. I looked confused, but my eyes widened as the figure stepped into the light.  
  
"Mom..." I gasped out and ran to her, wrapping my arms around her. I felt her hand on my head and looked up at her smiling face.  
  
"Don't worry sweetie..." she said softly, still patting my hair. "It's alright. He's gone, that thing is gone... everything is back to normal. You won't have to ever see those two wretched hanyou again."  
  
My eyes widened and I looked up at my mother, shocked and confused. "W- What?"  
  
"They're gone... the well is sealed, that offspring of yours gone. You're a normal girl Kagome." She smiled again.  
  
My eyes narrowed and I shoved her away from me. I glared at her, though my body shook. Inuyasha gone? Our child too? H-How could she? Tears started to fall from my eyes and I heard my mother's footsteps come closer. I stepped back and stared at her, complete disbelief in my eyes.  
  
"No... it's not true... Inuyasha and I ran away together... we went to the village last night..." I shook more, and my legs could no longer support me. I fell to the ground on my hands and knees, my world spinning. This is wrong... this isn't real... it can't be real...  
  
I suddenly felt a warm around me, and my body shaking slightly. A voice filled my ears and it took me a moment to register things.  
  
"Kagome..." I slowly opened my eyes to see a man with silver hair and golden eyes in front of me, shaking me gently, yet a little frantically.  
  
"Inuyasha?" I whispered and heard him sigh in relief. He pulled me close to him, his arms wrapped around me tightly, protectively. I leaned closer to his warmth, the coldness from the dark place disappearing. I sighed softly and felt him nuzzle my neck gently. I smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek, before resting back against him.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Yes, love?" I asked back, looking up at his face. A slight blush was on his cheeks at the name I used.  
  
"A-Are you ok?" he asked the concern evident in his voice. I stared at him blankly, and he continued. "I mean, did you have a nightmare or something? You were tossing in your sleep and you even cried..." he whispered sadly.  
  
My mind clicked and realization dawned on me. It had been a nightmare. I was safe with Inuyasha, our child. I placed a hand on my stomach. We were all at Kaede's hut, in the village, in the Feudal Era.  
  
"I-I'm ok..." I replied, as I felt him place on hand on my stomach over my own hand. "I just had a nightmare... that's all."  
  
I tried to keep the bit of fear out of my voice, but I knew he caught it because he began to rub my back soothingly with his other hand. He nuzzled my neck again, and I could hear a very quiet growl emitting from him. I sighed contentedly, knowing he was trying to comfort me, and it was working. He stopped after a little longer and pulled away a little, looking at my face.  
  
"What was your nightmare about?" he asked quietly. I stiffened, the dream that had just been washed away coming back. I felt him kiss my forehead lightly and then felt his forehead rest against mine. "It's alright, you don't have to tell me."  
  
"No, I'll tell you." I whispered back. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before down casting my eyes. "It... I dreamed that... that I was in total blackness, but my mom was there under a light, so I ran to her. She... She..." I felt tears swell in my eyes, but I tried to hold them back.  
  
"Shh... it's ok, you don't have to continue." I heard him whisper, his hand on my stomach moving to gently caress my cheek. I shook my head and continued.  
  
"She said that... you were gone... and... and so was our child... she said I was a normal girl, and wouldn't have to ever see you again..." I whispered as I held back my tears. "And... she was happy... she was smiling about it..." I couldn't take it anymore. I moved my head and buried it against his chest, my tears now flowing freely from my eyes, dampening his shirt. I felt both his arms around me, gently rubbing my back, and his lips press softly against my head.  
  
"It's alright koi. I'm here, the pup is still safe inside of you, and neither of us will be leaving you anytime soon. I promise you, I'll always be here." I calmed a bit as he whispered those words to me, repeating his promise until my crying finally ceased.  
  
I pulled my head away from his chest, and captured his lips softly with mine. I felt him return the kiss and we stayed like that, until I had to pull away for air. I smiled at him, wrapping my arms around his neck.  
  
"I love you, so much." I whispered, staring deeply into his golden eyes. He smiled back at me, removing one of his hands from my back and gently cupping my cheek.  
  
"I love you too Kagome." He whispered back, stroking my cheek with his thumb. I smiled and was about to kiss him again when I heard someone cough. Inuyasha and I looked to see Miroku and Sango standing in the doorway of the hut. I blushed and sat up, trying to hide my blush by looking down at my lap. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Inuyasha sit up too and stretch a bit. I smiled as he yawned, and then I noticed that he was still wearing clothing from my era. Was his kimono still in my bag?  
  
I looked over at the bag to see it unzipped and only part of the familiar red fabric sticking out. I looked a down and noticed a bit of red sticking out from underneath a blanket. I pulled it out to find out that it was his haori. I looked over at him with a questioning look and he shrugged.  
  
"You were cold, so I laid it over you for the warmth." He said as he stood up. I followed suit, but quickly regretted it as I felt the coldness of the air outside of the warmth I had just been in. I shivered and felt a weight on my shoulders. I blinked and noticed Inuyasha's haori was now on my shoulders, rather than in a heap on the floor. I looked over at him and he smiled at me. I smiled back and pulled it around my shoulders more. It was so warm and it faintly held his scent.  
  
I looked back to the two who had been in the doorway. Miroku was seating himself in the corner as Sango started a fire in the middle of the hut. I walked over to Sango and she gave me a hug once she got the fire lit.  
  
"It's good to have you back Kagome." She said as the two of us sat down beside the fire. I saw Inuyasha digging through a bag that I had left here before that was full of the cooking stuff and a box of instant ramen. I shook my head and went back to talking with Sango.  
  
"It's good to be back, and I'll be here for a while." I said.  
  
"Oh really? For how long?" Miroku asked as he came to sit by the fire as well.  
  
"Uh...um..." I tried to think of an answer.  
  
"Feh, she'll stay however long she wants. She doesn't have to tell you how long exactly." I looked up at Inuyasha as he sat down beside me and began to boil the water in a kettle over the fire, two cups of ramen sitting beside him.  
  
"I was only wondering." Miroku said, sounding a little startled by my hanyou's behavior.  
  
"Well, Miroku, you see... some things happened in my time... so, I probably won't be going back..." I said quietly, my head down. I felt Inuyasha's arm wrap around my waist and pull me into his side. I placed my head on his shoulder and felt him lean his head on mine. I looked over at Sango and Miroku, their faces held a knowing smile, yet they disappeared when Inuyasha and I just sat there in silence.  
  
"Kagome, if you don't mind us asking..." Sango began, but trailed off.  
  
"What kind of things happened in your time, Lady Kagome, other than Inuyasha getting injured?" Miroku finished for her. I stayed quiet until I felt Inuyasha take my hand and squeeze it gently, silently letting me know he was here and go with what she wanted to do.  
  
"Um... well, my mom is upset with me and Inuyasha, and she threatened to never let me come back here, so I ran away back here with Inuyasha." I said quietly, leaving out the reason why my mother was angry, but knowing the question would come.  
  
"Why was your mother upset Kagome?" Sango asked, worry in her voice.  
  
"Well, she's mad because..." I trailed off. Should I tell them? Would Inuyasha be ok if I told them? I mean, he's not exactly comfortable with showing his emotions off to the world, though his arm is around my waist right now, even if it is mainly to comfort me. I was startled though, when I heard him speak up.  
  
"She's angry because Kagome and I... well, in human terms, we're married." He said, sounding a little hesitant and unsure of what to really say. "And she's also upset because..." he trailed off and I noticed a faint blush on his cheeks, as I felt the heat rise in my own.  
  
"I'm pregnant." I said, picking up where he left off. "She was upset because she didn't want me to be with him."  
  
"Because I'm half demon, and the pup will be part demon as well." I heard him say, picking up on the hidden sadness and pain in his voice. I looked over at our friends and noticed their surprised faces.  
  
"Wow..." Sango gaped.  
  
"So you two... you..." Miroku trailed off in question, a perverted grin growing on his face. I noticed Inuyasha rise, I heard a thump, and the next thing I knew, Miroku was on the floor, a bump on his head.  
  
"Think like that again monk, and you'll get it even worse." Inuyasha said as he situated himself back beside me, his arm going around my waist once again. I giggled a little and leaned back against him.  
  
"You know, I should you know what you for making him lose consciousness." I said jokingly.  
  
"Feh, if anything, you should get him a damn necklace to wear. That way when he thinks like that he can feel his face hit the ground, knocking those thoughts from his already damaged brain."  
  
"Hmm... that's not a bad idea." I said, putting a finger to my chin to look like I was thinking about it.  
  
"If you do, let me control the word." I heard Sango say jokingly. "I could use something like 'bad pervert' or how about lay?"  
  
"Sango, I think that pervert would love it if you told him to lay." I heard my hanyou laugh a little. I saw Sango blush a bit and couldn't help but giggle.  
  
"Why don't you think of a word Sango, and then we'll decide whether to put one on him or not." I suggested. She nodded and then we all laughed.  
  
"Hey..." Miroku stirred. "Why is everyone laughing? What'd I miss?" Hey fill me in!"  
  
The three of us only laughed harder and Miroku frowned, never being told what we had talked about while he was unconscious.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Alright, that's it for chapter 17. I hope it wasn't too bad. Once again, I'm really sorry about not updating over the weekend. I'll try to this weekend, I really will.  
  
Please Review!  
  
Ja ne minna ~! 


	18. Something From the Past

Hey my faithful readers. I really apologize for taking so long, my parents once again had me working last weekend and the week with school has been as hectic as always, the homework seeming to increase each day. sigh Anyway on with the chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
**Winter's Night: Chapter 18**  
  
**Inuyasha's POV**   
  
I walked slowly through the forest, the warm spring air blowing my hair back as I walked carrying a bunch of fish hanging from a stick. The winter months had gone, and now spring was starting to show its colors. The smell of new plants, new fresher air, was a relief to the dimness of the winter. After Kagome had come and stayed here, the weather had only gotten worse, and it took a few weeks for all the snow and ice to thaw completely. But now new plants were popping up everywhere, and their fragrance was carried throughout the air, making it all seem so peaceful.  
  
I came to the edge of the forest and looked over the village from my slightly elevated spot. Men were out working in the rice patties and the fields preparing them for planting while the women busied themselves with cleaning around the huts. My ears twitched and I looked towards the river to see the children of the village jumping around and playing. I saw Shippo transform from his pink balloon back to his kit form and fall to the ground laughing as the other kids ran from him. I smiled at the little kit's antics. He had grown quite a bit, and now stood up to about my knees.  
  
Another sound drifted to my ears and I looked passed the kids and smiled. Kagome was there sitting on a rock beside Sango, chatting and watching the kids. My eyes drifted down to her abdomen, which had become bigger over the past few months so that she could no longer fit in her modern clothes. She had on a blue kimono similar to how Sango's was designed, only it had some flowers sewn into it.  
  
I hefted the fish up onto my shoulder and walked towards the village to drop them off at the old woman's hut. I walked passed some huts, getting a few looks from some of the village girls before reaching the hut of the older-than-dirt miko. I pushed aside the flap and stepped in finding her beside a fire, book open, herbs boiling in a pot of water. Needless to say it wasn't the most pleasant scent my nose had ever had the pleasure of meeting.  
  
"Hey hag." I said as I set the fish down beside the fire. I watched as she looked flatly at them and then up at me.  
  
"Inuyasha, what am I to do with all those fish?" She asked.  
  
"It's for dinner." I said and pulled one from the stick. "What, do you want me take them somewhere else?" I heard her sigh.  
  
"No, just don't forget them like you did last time." She said adding a few more herbs to her pot.  
  
"Feh, I got... distracted." I said, growling slightly.  
  
"Just do not forget." She said. I nodded and left the hut, the one fish still in hand. I walked through the village back towards the forest and jumped up into the branches of a tree. I looked down at the little hut beside the tree and smiled a little. The hut was mine and Kagome's, on the outskirts of the village, near the forest, yet still part of the village. The village men and Miroku had helped me build it only a couple weeks ago. It still needed a few things, but it was perfect as long as I was with Kagome.  
  
I looked down at the fish in my hands and bit into it, tearing the scales and ripping some meat from it. I wiped the little bit of blood from my lips and continued to eat it until all that was left were the head and bones. I tossed the bones across the field so that they landed in the river. I watched as the little kids were startled by the splash it made, and ran back to the village, leaving Shippo, Sango, and Kagome alone. I smirked and sat back in the tree. Kids were too easily scared. I closed my eyes, the warmth of the air slowly blowing around me. I sighed and felt everything around me drift away.  
  
============================  
  
I felt something hit my head and shifted. I felt another thing hit me and growled.  
  
What the hell?  
  
I sat up and looked down, annoyed at whoever dared to disturb me. I blinked slightly when I saw nothing below me. I looked around and noticed a blue streak out of the corner of my eye. I turned and my eyes widened at what I saw. One of Kikyou's soul collectors. I growled at it and lunged at it, shredding it instantly. I landed on the ground and looked around. No other collectors were in sight, but my nose detected the scent of dirt and death. I shuddered at the coldness that was suddenly in the air, and looked around me. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped slightly, my muscles tensing.  
  
"Inuyasha?" I turned around, my golden eyes meeting worried brown ones. I felt her wrap her arms around me, my body relaxing to her touch. I brought my arms around her and pulled her closer to me. I rested my head on hers, breathing in her scent to calm my senses. "Inuyasha..." she said again.  
  
"Shh..." I shushed her, lightly rubbing her back. I heard a soul collector circle around us and I held Kagome closer. I heard her gasp, and could smell the faint scent of water and salt.  
  
"She's close..." I heard my mate whisper, a bit of fear in her voice. I rubbed her back soothingly and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Kagome." I whispered. "I have to go to her, I have to tell her about us and that she has to go back from where she came from." I felt her hands grip my shirt tightly as she furiously shook her head against my chest.  
  
"No, I won't let you! She'll take you away!" she cried, her tears sinking into my haori. I slowly sat down and pulling her into my lap as we sat. I held her close and kissed her softly, gently stroking her hair.  
  
"Kagome, I won't let her take me away. You know I'll always come back to you." I whispered to her, and I caressed her cheek, brushing away her tears with my thumb.  
  
"B-But what if she tricks you and you do get..." I cut her off by taking her lips with mine. I felt her respond by pushing her lips more to mine and I tightened my hold on her. I pulled away and rested my forehead against hers.  
  
"Don't talk like that." I whispered. "I'll come back."  
  
"Promise?" she asked softly.  
  
"Do you even have to ask that koi?" I smiled at her.  
  
"Promise me." She whispered again. I nodded and kissed her softly.  
  
"I promise." I whispered as I pulled away from the kiss. I stood up with her in my arms and walked over to our hut, setting her on her feet by the door flap. "I'll come back soon." I said as I kissed her once again before running off, the soul collector leading my way. I glanced back at her and she stood where I left her. I could still smell her tears as I ran into the forest, turning back to what lie ahead of me.  
  
I'll come back Kagome, I promise.  
  
===========================  
  
I ran for a while, the sky now growing dark. Where the hell was this thing leading me?  
  
I saw a faint light ahead of me and slowed my pace. I could smell the dirt and death as I stepped into a clearing that glowed with power. My gaze fixed on a figure across the field, standing in front of a tree.  
  
"Kikyou..." I growled, my muscles tensing.  
  
"Inuyasha, you have come I see." She smiled a wicked smile that made the air grow colder.  
  
"Why have you appeared again?" I growled again, staying where I was. She took a few steps towards me and held out her hands.  
  
"To take you to hell with me." She spoke. A few soul collectors flew towards me and I split them in half with my claws. I looked back to Kikyou to see that she wasn't too happy.  
  
"I will not go to hell with you Kikyou. Not now, not ever." I told her. Her expression grew darker and I sensed her aura rise.  
  
"It's because of that reincarnation of mine, isn't it?" she asked, her voice dripping with malice and hate. I nodded slightly.  
  
"It has to do with her, and that fact that you're dead Kikyou." I said. "You are nothing more than dirt and bones with dead souls sustaining your supposed new life." I narrowed my eyes. "You do not belong here."  
  
I felt a blast hit me, pushing my body back against a tree. I felt a slight pain grow in the back of my head and I used the tree for support as I glared at the figure before me. A dark aura surrounded her as she stepped closer to me. I felt numbness in my body and cursed at her.  
  
"Damn you bitch." I growled and felt another wave of energy hit me. I fell to the ground as the power ran through me, purifying my demon blood some. I could see black in the hair that fell around my head, but my claws were still there. I felt something wrap around my body and lift me up. I growled at the soul collectors as they held me before Kikyou. I felt her hands wrap around my throat and apply pressure. I gritted my teeth and felt my lungs begin to burn from being cut off from the air.  
  
"You will die Inuyasha." I heard her speak. "And it will be by my two hands."  
  
I snarled at her and clawed at the soul collectors cutting one and hitting Kikyou's arm causing her to release me. I stumbled back a few steps and breathed in as much air as I could. I growled and ran at her, my claws raised to strike. I felt them break through her skin, her blood spilling onto my hands. I dug my hand deeper into her chest until I felt my claws break through the other side.  
  
I pulled my hand from her body and watched her stumble back, eyes wide from shock, blood spilling from her and turning to dirt as it hit the ground. She glared at me and I could sense her try to gather energy. I shook my head and attacked her again before she could do anything.  
  
She fell to the ground, claw marks embedded in her shoulder and a gaping hole in her chest. I looked down at her, my eyes softened a little.  
  
"I'm sorry that you're grave was disturbed and you were brought back like this." I spoke as she glared up at me, the scent of death growing more evident on her. "I killed Naraku to avenge your death and that should be enough. I've been given a second chance at life and I don't intend to throw it away and die now, leaving Kagome and our pup alone." I saw her eyes widen.  
  
"She's having your child?" she asked, her voice quiet and hoarse. I nodded and a sad look appeared on her face, but she smiled a small smile. "I see why you do not wish to go then. You have a good life... I just wish I could've have been with you."  
  
"It wasn't meant to be Kikyou." I said. "We were both lonely and foolish, not willing to trust. In the end, we paid for it. I was practically dead for fifty years and you died. Your soul was reborn as Kagome, someone completely opposite of you, and then when she released me, it was as if I was reborn as well."  
  
She nodded. "I wish you two the best then... I'm sorry for trying to come between you two..." she whispered. I nodded and watched as her body suddenly turned to dirt right before my eyes. I bowed my head and said a small prayer for her before turning and heading back towards the village. The effect of her powers on my body had finally caught up with me, and needless to say, I felt tired and weakened. Some of my demon blood was purified, but it would return to normal after I had time to rest.  
  
I walked for a while before I reached the edge of the forest. I looked at the silent village. It was well into the night and everyone was asleep, or so I thought. A light caught my eye and I looked to see all my friends, the old hag, and my mate sitting beside it. I walked towards them, when I saw Shippo jump up and the rest turn my way. Kagome was up in no time and she ran towards me. I stopped and felt the exhaustion flood my body. I fell to my knees and saw her do the same beside me, only she had a hard time being pregnant and all. I felt her arms wrap around me, and I smiled at her.  
  
"She's gone." I whispered and fell against her, my body feeling too weak and tired to hold up anymore. I heard the other's voices and the voice of my mate before I felt myself drift into a peaceful, welcomed darkness.

* * *

That's chapter 18 everyone, hope you enjoyed it. I absolutely hate Kikyou, so it was a little rough writing this chapter. Also, my brother and his friend were shooting NERF darts at my head, so it made it even harder. Oh and these new features for authors on ff.net are SWEET!  
  
Please review and tell me how it is!  
  
JA NE MINNA! 


	19. Storms Can Be Decieving

Hey everyone. I am so, so sorry for not updating in the longest time. It's been one thing after another, and my head feels like it's going to have a mental meltdown. I despise the end of the school year... But you'll be happy to know that June 10th is my last official day of school. However I have exams until the 23rd. cries Curse the damned person who came up with the idea for school... Anyway, here's an update. I hope it's alright, because right now I have too much in my head, so I don't know exactly how this chapter will turn out.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
**Winter's Night: ****Chapter 19**  
  
** _Kagome's POV_   
**  
I looked over the horizon and watched as the sun began to set, its colors spilling into the sky leaving behind its colors. The cool fall air blew in through the open window and I pulled the red fire rat haori closer to me. I looked over were my love sat in silence, eyes closed, Tetsusaiga clutched in one hand, his other clenched tightly into a fist. I frowned and looked back out the window. The sun disappeared, and darkness spread through the sky and over the land like a thick blanket. I let the mat fall over the window and walked over to Inuyasha. I carefully knelt beside him. My stomach was quite large, and any day now our baby would be born.  
  
I wrapped my arms around Inuyasha's shoulders and embraced him. I could feel his body tense and could sense his aura change. I held him tighter and found his lips with mine, kissing him gently. His body relaxed, if only a little, and I heard the clink of Tetsusaiga as he released it, allowing it to sit on the floor, as he wrapped his arms around me. He responded to the kiss and we pulled apart as his transformation from hanyou to human completed. I smiled up at him, my arms now wrapped loosely around his neck, and rested my head against his chest.  
  
"Are you alright, love?" I whispered. I felt him pull me closer, into his lap, his hand rubbing my back softly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm ok." I heard him say. I smiled and allowed my eyes to close. I felt him lift me up in his arms and him rise to his feet. I clutched his haori as he bent down, lying me on our bed of furs.  
  
"You have to let go of me Kagome." He chuckled a little, and I shook my head.  
  
"I want to stay up with you tonight." I said, tightening my grip on his clothing. I heard him sigh, and he gently pried my hands from his clothing, and laid me down the rest of the way before sitting beside me.  
  
"You shouldn't stay up. You need your rest so that you have strength when the pup is ready to be born. You're very close, and I don't want anything to happen to you, or the pup during the birth." I heard him speak quietly. I reached out and took on of his hands in mine and squeezed it lightly. I looked up and saw him smile down at me, moving his hand to lace his fingers with my own. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it lightly before resting it back on the fur bed, keeping our hands linked. "Now, get some sleep koi."  
  
"What about you?" I asked, holding back a yawn. He shook his head, and with his free hand pulled a blanket up around me. I felt the warmth around me grow, but it wasn't enough. I wanted to feel his warmth wrapped around me, holding me as we both slept in each others arms.  
  
"Feh, I'll do what I always do when I'm human." He said, shifting against the wall. I frowned and tugged his hand a little bit. He looked down at me and I saw his eyes soften and he looked away towards the fire that was burning inside our hut. "Don't give me that look. You know I never go to sleep while I'm human, so why would I start now?" He asked gruffly, but I could tell he was just trying to be stubborn.  
  
"Because you should sleep. It's not healthy to get as little sleep as you do." I said, holding back a yawn. He sighed and shifted until he was lying down beside me. He pushed aside the blanket and slipped underneath it, moving closer to me and wrapping his arms around my waist.  
  
"There, happy?" He asked, his voice now sounding tired and defeated. I nodded.  
  
"Very." I smiled and snuggled closer to him, resting my head below his chin on the pillow. I heard him sigh heavily and felt his warm breath on the top of my head. "Good night Inuyasha." I whispered, my eyes now closed, sleep invading my mind.  
  
"Good night Kagome."  
  
================================================================  
  
I woke to the loud roar that made me jump. My eyes flew open and I sat up look around the dark room, the fire had burned out. I could hear the heavy sound of rain pound the roof of the hut and I shivered as a chill passed through the room, causing me to pull the blanket up around me. My eyes widen as I realized that the warmth that had surrounded me was gone. I felt avoid the bed for Inuyasha, but he wasn't there. I heard footsteps and shrunk against the wall.  
  
"I-Inuyasha?" I asked, fear creeping into my voice. I heard them get closer until they stopped beside me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and screamed, though it was drowned out by a clap of thunder. I raised my fist and punched the intruder, making contact. I felt the hand slip from my shoulder and heard a thud. I got up and ran over to wear a trunk was in the corner, using the walls to find it. I threw it open and grabbed the flashlight, which amazingly still had power, and turned it on the intruder.  
  
"Ah, turn that damned thing off." My eyes widened and I looked at who the light was on. Inuyasha sat there, still human, holding his hand up to shield his eyes from the light, a faint mark in the shape of a fist on his left cheek.  
  
"Inuyasha..." I asked, my eyes widened a bit, but quickly narrowed. "Don't scare me like that!" I yelled at him, getting up, with some difficultly, and storming over to him. He rubbed his cheek a bit, the light no longer in his eyes, but on the floor.  
  
"Sorry, didn't think you'd react like that." He said, a bit of annoyance in his tone. I sighed and sat down beside him.  
  
"It's alright..." I said, trying to control my temper. I watched him still rub his cheek. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Feh, I'm fine." He said, bringing his hand from his cheek. "I'll give you this though; you've got one hell of a punch when you're scared." He chuckled lightly causing me to smile.  
  
"When did it start storming?" I asked after a bit of silence.  
  
"Just a little while ago." He replied, getting to his feet and walking over to the window. He pulled away the flap a little, and lightening flashed, outlining him in whitish gold light. He had a somewhat serious expression on his face.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked quietly.  
  
"Something's not right. I just have a bad feeling." He said letting the flap fall back against the window before tying it down so that it remained shut.  
  
Suddenly I felt a bit of pain in my abdominal area, and I gasped as it got worse. I laid down on the floor and held my stomach.  
  
"Kagome!" I looked up and saw Inuyasha run over to me. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Inuyasha, go get Kaede, and Sango... I think it's time." I said. I say his eyes widen in realization, and he gently picked me up. He unrolled a futon with his foot, the flashlight lying on the floor illuminating most of the room so he could see what he was doing, and he laid me down on it.  
  
"I'll hurry back." He said, kissing my forehead quickly, before running out of the hut into the storm. I watched and waited. I felt another pain and prayed silently for them to hurry.  
  
I laid back on the futon, the sound of the storm echoing in my ears. There was another flash of lightening and I closed my eyes as a loud crack of thunder shook the ground. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Sango and Kaede come into the hut.  
  
"Where's Inuyasha?" I asked as they knelt beside me.  
  
"He's with Miroku and Shippo." Sango replied. I nodded before falling back onto the pillow.  
  
================================================================  
  
** _Inuyasha's POV_   
**  
I stood near a window in Miroku's hut and stared out into the darkness. The storm had stopped a while ago, the winds picking up a bit and the clouds having cleared up leaving the stars to cast a faint light over the land. The air was a bit cooler, and I was drenched from running from hut to hut and then taking Sango and Kaede to mine and Kagome's. I sighed, leaning my head back against the wall, turning away from the window. I wanted to be with Kagome right now, but Kaede had I wasn't allowed in. I was going to argue but decided against it because Kagome needed them, and arguing would only waste time.  
  
"Hey, Inuyasha?"  
  
"What kid?" I asked looking down at the kitsune at my feet. Sure he had grown some, but not much. Perhaps a few centimeters, but that was it.  
  
"Is Kagome having her kit now?" He asked again, staring up at me.  
  
"It's a pup, and yes, she is." I said, sitting down on the floor.  
  
"Is it a boy or girl?" He asked.  
  
"I have no idea." I replied.  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Because I don't."  
  
"That doesn't answer my question."  
  
"Yes it does."  
  
"No, it doesn't."  
  
I glared at the kit. Oh how I wish I had my claws right now... one swipe... just one.  
  
"Alright Shippo, leave him alone." I looked up and saw Miroku poke at the fire, causing the flames to grow.  
  
"But..."  
  
"No buts, he's probably stressed, though he hides it well." He said, looking over at me. "If it was Sango who was giving birth, I'd probably be pacing back and forth, nervous and anxious."  
  
I didn't say anything, but Shippo got up and plopped down in my lap. I looked down at him, giving him a questioning look. He smiled up at me and then hugged me, as best as he could for being so small. I blinked a few times, then shook my head, patting him on the head.  
  
"I hope the ki- uh, pup, is born soon." He said.  
  
"Me too kid." I said quietly.  
  
================================================================  
  
I shifted and opened my eyes as a bit of light seeped into the room from outside. I stood up, carefully putting Shippo on the floor beside Miroku who had fallen asleep near the fire. I had stayed awake, but couldn't keep my eyes open. Sure, I was nervous and anxious just like Miroku had said, but I felt like everything was alright, my earlier feeling of unease gone. I stepped outside of the hut, as the sun appeared. I felt my body pulse, my power returning along with my senses. My claws grew, and I twitched my ears.  
  
"Inuyasha!" I turned and saw Sango running towards me. When she got to me, she was smiling, panting a little from the run from my hut to hers. My eyes widened a little, and I didn't need to hear to say anything. I ran to the hut, and stopped just outside. I sniffed the air, a smile spreading across my face. I pushed aside the flap quietly and stepped inside. Kaede turned to me and smiled. I walked over to her and what I saw made my smile grow bigger. On the futon lay Kagome, looking very exhausted, with our pup in her arms, wrapped in a blanket. She smiled up at me and I moved to kneel beside her. She sat up and placed the pup in my arms.  
  
"It's a boy." Kaede said, and I nodded having already gathered that from his scent. I held him carefully, a little nervous. He was so small and fragile. He had a bit of white hair on his head, with white dog ears, though they had black tips. His eyes were closed and he was breathing softly, sound asleep. I looked back at Kagome and she just smiled.  
  
"What should we name him?" she asked.  
  
"I pick?" I asked. She nodded. "Uh... how about Kiyoshi?"  
  
She smiled and giggled a bit. "You know, that's perfect because he didn't cry much when he was born."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah." She said and laid down. "I'm exhausted..."  
  
"Then rest." I said. "I'm here, you and our pup are safe and alright, so you can relax and sleep."  
  
She nodded and smiled up at me. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too Kagome." I bent down and kissed her, being careful with Kiyoshi in my arms, and then leaned back against the wall beside her. I watched her close her eyes, and gradually fall asleep. I looked down at my arms and couldn't help but smile. This was my son. I looked back to my mate and shook my head and said quietly.  
  
"Our son..."

* * *

Well, that's it. Next chapter there's going to be something, but I'm not going to give it away. I'll try to get that one out ASAP. Oh and one bad thing about this quick edit thing... no symbols, or tildes... grrr....  
  
Please Review!!!  
  
Ja ne ! 


	20. Trouble

Hey everybody! Long time no see, huh? Well you'll all be happy to know that I am just about halfway through my exams. Only Thursday, Friday, this coming Tuesday, and Wednesday... dang that's still a handful of exams left... and I've already taken two! sigh It's not fair... damn school and the person who started regents exams... Oh and Kiyoshi means quiet one.   
  
OH and thank you all for the reviews. Over 300! I'm speechless!   
  
**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.  
**  
**Winter's Night: Chapter 20**  
  
**_Kagome's POV_**  
  
I awoke to the smell of green tea in the air. I rubbed my eyes and looked around the hut. I saw the pot hanging over the fire, steam spraying out of the spout, but no one was around. I sat up and felt a little dizzy at first but it subsided.  
  
"Morning." Startled, I jumped a little and looked in the direction of the voice. In the doorway stood Inuyasha, wearing only his pants, his hair dripping wet, holding our son wrapped up in his haori in his arms. He walked over and crouched down beside me, holding the Kiyoshi closer to him as he crouched. I smiled and took him from him.  
  
"Hey baby." I cooed, rubbing my nose against his. He smiled and stared up at me, his golden eyes wide and shining brightly. I noticed that what hair he did have was damp and I looked up at my mate for an explanation. "Inuyasha?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why are you and Kiyoshi wet?"  
  
"Feh. He needed a bath, so I gave him one." He replied, getting up and walking over to the fire. I watched him as he took the tea pot from the fire and poured its contents into a small cup. He set the pot down and walked back over to me, holding the cup out. "The hag said to have you drink this when you woke up."  
  
I nodded and held Kiyoshi in one arm, taking the cup from his hands. I blew on it a little and sipped at it so I wouldn't burn my tongue.  
  
Once finished I handed the cup back to him and leaned back against the wall behind me when I felt Kiyoshi squirm in my arms. I looked down at him and he started to fuss.  
  
"Guess you're hungry huh baby?" I asked as I shifted him in my arms so that I could pull down part of my kimono to let him to feed.  
  
"Do you want me to go?" I looked at Inuyasha, standing by the doorway, not looking at me, but still looking away.  
  
"Why?" I asked, trying to calm Kiyoshi as he began fussing more.  
  
"Because you're um... you're..." he trailed off looking a little flustered, a blush rising to his cheeks. I giggled and shook my head.  
  
"No, you don't have to go. You've seen it all before, haven't you?" I blushed at my own statement, but focused on Kiyoshi. I got my kimono down far enough and Kiyoshi began to feed right away. _Jeez, I hope he doesn't grow up as impatient as his father or else I could have problems once he gets older..._  
  
I was brought from my musings when I heard movement and I looked up to see Inuyasha sit down beside me, his back to the wall. I smiled softly and carefully leaned against his shoulder so that I wouldn't disturb Kiyoshi.  
  
"He's going to be a handful in about a year." Inuyasha said quietly.  
  
"Really? But he won't even be that big yet, will he?"  
  
"He has demon blood in him so he'll grow up faster than a human pup." I nodded waiting for him to maybe continue, but he remained quiet. I looked up at his face and frowned a little. He was staring off at the wall across from us, a sort of half glazed look on his face, his eyes closed slightly.  
  
"Inuyasha?" I asked quietly. "What's wrong?"  
  
"He's a hanyou." He said just as quietly.  
  
"Yeah, so? You're a hanyou too. Besides it doesn't matter." He shook his head.  
  
"I'm half demon, half human, and you're all human. It doesn't work out. He should be mostly human, but he's not." He said.  
  
"Well, maybe demon genes are dominant over human ones."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Eh, nothing, never mind." I switched Kiyoshi in my arms and pulled down the other part of my kimono, letting him feed again.  
  
"Feh." He snorted and crossed his arms, but then just as quickly uncrossed them.  
  
"That's not all that's bothering you, is it?" I asked quietly, laying my head on his shoulder. He sighed and laid his head on mine.  
  
"No, that's not all..." he whispered a hint of worry and... fear in his voice.  
  
"Please tell me what's bothering you." I whispered back.  
  
"He's hanyou... so... he'll be an outcast..." he whispered sadly. "I don't want him to go through what I went through..."  
  
"He won't though." I whispered. "He has us to watch over him, as well as the others. No one will hurt our son. No one..."  
  
He nodded but didn't say anything so we sat there in silence until Kiyoshi squirmed a bit signaling that he was done. I sat up and patted his back gently until he burped. I wrapped him back up in his father's haori and held him in my arms, rocking him gently. I was startled when I felt myself be lifted up and looked at Inuyasha as he picked me up in his arms.  
  
"W-What are you doing?" I asked him.  
  
"Taking you two outside." He said, somehow grabbing a blanket with his foot and getting it up to where his hand could reach it without letting go of me. I nodded and leaned against him as he walked out of the hut. I felt the cool breeze wrap around me and I held Kiyoshi closer so that he wouldn't get cold.  
  
We went quite a ways, passed the village and up the hill over looking it. Once at the top of the hill, Inuyasha set me on my own two feet and I watched him lay the blanket out on the grass. He then motioned for me to sit and I sat down leaving enough room for him, but taking up enough to stretch my legs out. He sat down beside me and then pulled me into his lap, his arms wrapping around my waist holding me close to his chest. I smiled and relaxed against him, closing my eyes and enjoying the comfort of being there with him, the sun shining brightly on both of us and the coolness of the air seemingly gone. I sighed in contentment. He seemed fine now, everything would be alright.  
  
Suddenly I felt his muscles tense and he began to growl lowly. Kiyoshi squirmed in my arms and I heard him whimper. I held him close as Inuyasha released me and stood up looking around, his body tense, eyes narrowed.  
  
"W-What is it?" I asked, fear taking over my body.  
  
"I smell wolf..." he growled and turned towards the field on the opposite side of the hill. My eyes widened as I looked and saw Kouga running towards us, an angered aura surrounding him.  
  
"Kagome, go back to the village." I turned to Inuyasha. He was growling louder, his fangs bared, his hand tightly gripping the hilt of Tetsusaiga. He turned to me. "What are you standing there for? Go NOW!" He yelled.  
  
I jumped and was about to run when I felt someone grab me and jump away. I looked behind me at Inuyasha and then looked at where I had been standing to see the ground broken up and what appeared to be claw marks. We landed a good distance away and my eyes widened as I saw a red eyed Kouga standing there.  
  
"What have you done to my woman you dirty half-breed?!"

* * *

Alright, that's it for now. I know, I'm horrible with cliffies, and the whole thing with Kagome and Kiyoshi in the beginning of the chapter was probably weak... I promise to try and do better on the next chapter. It probably won't be up until I'm completely done with exams though. I'm really sorry, Please don't hate me. 

Oh, Demon-Inuyasha1, we think alike, ne? I had this idea with Kouga before I got your review. thanks though!  
  
**Please review!  
**  
Ja ne !


	21. Fight

Oi minna! I'm done with school! w00t! Now I can update! But, sadly, I am going to be traveling a lot this month (curse it all) and won't be able to update. I know, it's sad and disappointing but I promise to try and update before I leave. It sucks... Anyway, thank you all so much for the reviews, I really enjoy reading them and seeing what you all have to say about my fic. Alright, I won't waste anymore time rambling, on with the chapter!  
  
**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**  
  
**Winter's Night: Chapter 21**  
  
**_Inuyasha's POV_**   
  
I growled fiercely, hiding Kagome and Kiyoshi behind me, never taking my eyes off the wolf.  
  
"What have you done to my woman you dirty half-breed?!" he yelled causing my own anger to flare.  
  
"You're woman? She's not your woman you stupid wolf! Kagome is with me, she's my mate!" I yelled back at him.  
  
"Only because you forced her!"  
  
"WHAT?!" I growled louder. "How dare you say that I would do something like that to her. Kagome is with me by choice!"  
  
"Keh, yeah, I'm supposed to believe a flea bitten mongrel like you? Kagome would never choose to go with you when I already declared that she was my woman."  
  
"Feh, shows how much you know. If you cleaned out your filthy ears once in a while, maybe you would've heard her when she said that she wasn't your woman back when you first kidnapped her." I said. I glanced behind me at Kagome to she her holding Kiyoshi close and standing very close behind me. I could sense her bit a fear and growled as I turned my attention back to Kouga.  
  
"Yeah right, dog breath, my Kagome would never say such a thing." That comment pissed me off even more. I opened my mouth to yell something but someone beat me to it.  
  
"I am not your anything Kouga!" I looked at Kagome who was now standing beside me, though still somewhat behind me, in shock. "Kouga, I am Inuyasha's mate. I was never your woman, I was never your anything." She looked up at me. "I love him more than anything." She then looked back at Kouga. "You're only a friend to me Kouga, nothing more. I'm sorry, but you need to move on."  
  
I smiled down at her until I heard laughing. I snapped my gaze up at the wolf standing across the field from us. His laugh rang through the air, an annoying cold laugh. I began to growl again and shifted my stance, ready for anything.  
  
"How touching..." he chuckled coldly and stared at Kagome. "However, I will be taking you with me, whether you come willingly or not." With that he rushed forward and I drew Tetsusaiga, blocking him from getting to Kagome. He slashed at me and my sword, but I blocked every time. The sound of crying reached my ears and I turned to see Kagome standing near the forest, Kiyoshi crying in her arms. I swung my sword at the wolf causing him to jump away, giving me time to call to her.  
  
"Kagome, get out of her and go back to the village, now!" I yelled and watched as she nodded and ran into the forest back towards the village. I turned to get back to my fight when I felt claws dig into my shoulder. I growled and turned, swinging my sword at my enemy only to have him jump out of the way. Then he turned and raced off into the forest.  
  
"I don't have time to play with you mutt." He shouted. My eyes widened and I quickly ran after him. He was headed towards the village, after Kagome. I growled and kept him in my vision, dodging branches and roots, finally taking to the trees to get to the village before him. My eyes caught sight of the village and Kagome running out of the forest, almost to the village. I saw some trees go down as Kouga emerged from the forest running towards her.  
  
"Kagome!" I yelled as I jumped into the air. I grabbed her just in time and ran to Kaede's hut, setting her down and going back to where the wolf was currently eating dirt. He snarled and lunged at me, but I swung Tetsusaiga, cutting him across the stomach. He jumped back and touched his wound, staring at the blood that was now on his hands.  
  
"You'll pay for that." He growled.  
  
"I'd like to see you try." I snorted and held Tetsusaiga out in front of me, ready to slice the wolf to pieces. I looked behind him and noticed that he was standing in front of a few huts. Damnit, so much for using Kaze no Kizu.  
  
I narrowed my eyes and Kouga once again jumped at me, his claws out to strike. I jumped to the side and smirked.  
  
"Is that all you can do?" I mocked and he came at me again, but I dodged it. "Wow you really do suck at fighting."  
  
"Shut up!" he snarled and lunged at me. I jumped up and turned in the air. I looked down at him and saw the forest standing behind him. Perfect. I raised my sword and could smell the wind wrap around it.  
  
"Prepare to die!" I yelled. "KAZE NO KIZU!"  
  
The wind picked up and the attacked rushed forward, the golden energy tearing apart the ground and going straight towards Kouga. I smirked as I watched the ground explode in a cloud of dust and debris.  
  
Suddenly I saw a figure rush forward and before I could move, Tetsusaiga flew from my hands and I felt claws ram into my chest, ripping through the flesh and coming out the other side. I gasped for air and saw Kouga smirk as he pulled his hand from my body. I stumbled backwards and panted for breath, glaring at him. I growled a bit, but it was hoarse and didn't sound quite right.  
  
"Nice try dog shit." Kouga mocked. He was cut up and bleeding, but he seemed unfazed.  
  
"Inuyasha!" me ears perked and I looked to see Kagome standing with Kiyoshi still in her arms, and Sango and Miroku beside her. She started to run towards me.  
  
"Stay where you are!" I yelled to her and she froze instantly. I turned my eyes back to Kouga to see him staring at her. "Don't even think about it wolf!" I growled.  
  
I saw him smirk and in one movement rush at Kagome. I turned to jump at him but he already had Kagome by her arms. He pricked her neck causing her to fall limp in his arms. I growled and felt my blood begin to boil.  
  
"Get your hands off her bastard!" I snarled. He ignored me and picked up Kiyoshi with one hand, who was in tears and screaming, and narrowed his eyes.  
  
"This filth shouldn't have been given the chance to even take one breath of air." My eyes widened and he raised his other hand, claws out and nearing his throat.  
  
I felt something inside me snap and my blood burned as it was pumped through my veins. Red covered my vision and I ran at Kouga. I grabbed his throat with one hand causing him to release his hold on Kiyoshi, and caught him with my other hand.  
  
"Sango, Miroku, come get these two out of here." I called to them, my eyes never leaving Kouga. I heard them run over and watched out of the corner of my eye as Miroku picked up Kagome. Sango came up to me and I handed her Kiyoshi. They backed away and went to Kaede's hut in the village.  
  
"Now for you." I growled turning my attention back to the wolf currently turning blue from lack oxygen. He was clawing at my hand and I watched as the blood dripped down my hand to the ground, feeling no pain. I snarled and threw him into a nearby tree. I watched him crash through it and sit on the ground, holding his bloody throat and gasping for air. "Pathetic." I growled as I stepped towards him.  
  
He stood and crouched down, ready to fight me. I smirked and cracked my knuckles.  
  
"I'm going to tear you limb from limb for trying to harm my mate and pup." I growled. I didn't give him time to talk back as I lunged at him, running my claws across his shoulder. I smirked in satisfaction as I heard him howl in pain, his now severed arm falling limply to the ground. Blood poured from his shoulder and pooled on the ground beneath him. He growled and jumped at me, managing to rake his claws up my shoulder and across the side of my face. I stood there staring at him unfazed by his attack and he backed up in slight fear before jumping forward and repeatedly punching and kicking. I stood there taking the attacks and flew back through a few trees with one swift kick from him.  
  
"How'd you like that half-breed?" I heard him yell, a mocking tone in his voice. I stood up from the debris and walked out of the dust and stopped as I reached the field.  
  
"Is that it?" I smirked as his eyes widened in shock. "I'm done playing wolf, your life ends now." With that I jumped forward, my claws outstretched to attack.  
  
"Inuyasha, don't!"  
  
My ears twitched at the sound of the voice, but I ignored it. I ran my claws across the front of my enemy and continued to slash him, bits of flesh and blood flying around.  
  
"See you in Hell." I growled as I thrust my hand through his chest and ripped out his heart. Squeezing it in my hand his eyes stared at me, before his body fell limply to the ground, blood pooling around it and coating the area around us. I chuckled and threw the crushed organ down on the ground beside my fallen enemy.  
  
I heard a movement behind me and turned, growling at whoever dared to approach me. My eyes widened as the familiar scent hit my nose and I stopped growling, staring at the figure frozen in the field.  
  
"I-Inuyasha..." I heard her gasp. Then her eyes fluttered and she fell forward towards the ground, but I ran and caught her before she could hit. I looked down at the woman in my arms and my brain clicked.  
  
"Kagome..."

* * *

Well there you have it folks, the fight between Kouga and Inuyasha is over. I hope this was ok, oh and Inuyasha did go full demon if you didn't figure it out.  
  
**Please Review!!!**  
  
Ja ne! 


	22. What Happened?

Hey everyone, it's been a while. I'd like to apologize to Kouga fans for brutally murdering him last chapter. I'm sorry, but I'm not too big a fan of Kouga, and I don't know, I thought he may be pissed off. Sorry. Also, I know last chapter was a little gruesome at parts, but hey, demon Inuyasha can be nasty. Ok, that's all I have to say, so on with the chapter!  
  
**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**  
  
**Winter's Night: Chapter 22**  
  
**_Kagome's POV_**   
  
There was red everywhere, dark but bright against the black that surrounded me. I ran, searching for a way out, to find someone familiar. Suddenly I felt something catch my feet and I fell forward. I pushed myself up off the ground, my eyes going to the thing that had caused me to fall. I gasped and quickly backed away.  
  
Kouga's corpse lay there, ripped apart, blood all over him and the blackness beneath his still body. I felt tears well in my eyes as I stared at his lifeless eyes, glazed over with death. He was a friend, nothing more, but still... it hurt... I continued to stare, my tears never falling.  
  
I jumped when I heard a low growl behind me. I turned around slowly and my eyes widened as they met deep red ones. The growling grew louder and I backed up. The figure was covered in shadow with the exception of his eyes and I felt fear run throughout my entire being. I stepped back again and tripped over Kouga's body again. I stared up at the figure from where I was and my eyes widened as it stepped from the shadows.  
  
I jolted upright and gasped. I breathed in heavily and wiped some sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. I looked around and noticed I was inside a hut lying on the fur bed that Inuyasha and I shared.  
  
"It was just a dream..." I sighed and leaned back against the wall. I looked down beside me and saw Kiyoshi laying beside me, his golden eyes open and staring at me with curiosity and a bit of fear in his eyes. "Aw baby..." I whispered as I lifted him up into my arms, rocking him gently. I smiled as his eyes drifted shut, but frowned when I noticed red marks around his neck. "What the..."  
  
"Kagome?" I jumped slightly and looked up to see Inuyasha standing in the shadows by the doorway, just out of the reach of a small fire that burned in the room. "Are you ok?" he asked. I blinked a few times but nodded.  
  
"Or course, why wouldn't I be?" I asked.  
  
"Well you passed out and before that that damned wolf knocked you out." I heard him say, venom dripping from his voice as he said the word wolf.  
  
"Kouga?" I asked still a little confused. My eyes widened as I heard him growl and watched his golden eyes flash red.  
  
"Don't say that name." he growled as he closed his eyes, and I could see him clench his fist at his side, a bit of blood dripping from his hand. My eyes widened and I stood up, laying Kiyoshi down on the bed.  
  
"Inuyasha, calm down, you're hurting yourself." I said, walking towards him. I took one of his hands in both of mine and unclenched his fingers, using the sleeve of my kimono to wipe the blood away from the already healing holes in his palm. I went to wipe his claws but gasped when I looked at them. They were longer than usual, and had dry blood on them as well as the fresh blood that he had just drawn from his own hand. He pulled it away and looked off to the side, staring at a spot on the floor.  
  
I frowned, and reached up, cupping his cheek with my hand. He turned his head to look at me, and the light of the fire caught his face, allowing me to see it. My eyes widened as I traced purple stripes with my fingers. His eyes were golden, yet he still adorned with the stripes that showed he had demon blood in him. My head felt fuzzy, and I remembered my dream. I felt tears in my eyes as I stared into his golden orbs.  
  
"Inuyasha..." I whispered. "What... what happened?" I noticed his confused look and explained further. "I-I don't remember what happened... between you and... Kouga..." I saw him lower his gaze and forced him to look at me again. "Please... tell me."  
  
He nodded slightly and took my hand, being careful with his claws. He led me over to the bed and sat down, pulling him into his lap, my back to his chest, his arms around my waist and forehead resting against the back of my head.  
  
"He came to the village a few days ago, you've been unconscious since..." he said slowly, his voice quiet. "He attacked us, angered at the fact that you had mated with me when he had declared you his woman." I heard him growl but he continued on. "You took Kiyoshi and ran back here and I fought him off, except he dodged and went after you."  
  
I nodded, my memory coming back to me. "I remember that... and up till I felt him prick my neck..." I felt him tense and I placed my hands over his causing him to relax, but only a little.  
  
"I got pissed and he just ignored me and went straight for Kiyoshi, saying he never should've been allowed to live... He was going to kill him." I gasped, my eyes widening. I felt his hold on me tighten and he spoke again. "My demon blood took over... only this time, I had control. I ran at Kouga and grabbed his neck. Sango and Miroku took Kiyoshi and you back to Kaede's hut while I stayed and fought Kouga. We went back and forth, but I was so pissed that he even thought of taking you and killing our pup... I ripped him up... I slaughtered him, his blood covered the ground. My demon blood burned in my veins, satisfied that he was dead. T-Then I saw you... you passed out, but I caught you brought you back here..."  
  
I heard him stop talking, my brain a complete jumble of different things. His words echoed in my head and the sight of Inuyasha killing Kouga filled my mind. Tears welled in my eyes.  
  
"He tried to take you and kill Kiyoshi... I had to kill him Kagome, or else he would've killed our son and would've kept coming back for you." I heard my mate whisper from behind me. I nodded slightly.  
  
Kouga, the arrogant wolf demon who had kidnapped me, fought with my mate numerous times, declared his love for me even though I could not return it, my friend and our group's ally, was now dead. He was killed by my mate because he thought that I was his and that Inuyasha had forced himself on me, killed because he tried to take me away, killed because he tried to murder my son.  
  
My eyes widened and I looked over at Kiyoshi, whimpering in his sleep. I felt Inuyasha release me and I crawled over to him, lifting him into my arms. I rocked him and looked at the faint marks on his neck. The marks made by Kouga.  
  
I was brought from my thoughts when I heard movement, and I looked up to see Inuyasha rise from his place on the bed. My eyes traveled up him, from his claws to his ears and back down to his face, where the purple markings were even more noticeable than before. I looked up at his golden eyes and though they were looking away from me, I could still see the anger, worry, and bit of guilt within them.  
  
"Inuyasha... I understand and it's alright." I said softly, my eyes never leaving my mate. He nodded and looked over at the fire.  
  
"Kagome... I want you two to go stay with Kaede for a while." He spoke so quietly that I barely caught it.  
  
"Why?" I asked, standing up, Kiyoshi still in my arms. He looked over at me, worry and a bit of fear showing in his expression and his eyes.  
  
"I'm going away for a bit..."  
  
"Then I'm going with you." I said, stepping forward.  
  
"No." he said, his tone meaning that there was no room for argument. I looked down.  
  
"W-Why are you going?" I asked, holding back the tears that now threatened to fall.  
  
"Because..." I watched as he raised his hand and looked down at his claws before running one finger down the stripe on one of his cheeks. "My demon blood was awakened again and even Tetsusaiga hasn't been able to fully subdue it. I...I don't want to risk you being hurt by me, so I'm going to hopefully find a way to subdue it again."  
  
I walked over to him and stood before him. Tears slipped down my face as I stared up at the man I loved. He frowned and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close, but being careful of Kiyoshi in my arms. I cried into his haori as he rubbed my back soothingly.  
  
"Please... don't go..." I whispered as I continued to cry.  
  
"I have to koi..." he whispered, kissing me lightly on the forehead.  
  
"When...?" I asked quietly.  
  
"In the morning." He whispered back.  
  
I looked up at him and he wiped the tears from my cheeks. He then picked me up and laid me down on the bed, lying down on his side beside me. I placed Kiyoshi between us and curled up as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him. He pulled the blanket up over us and rubbed my back. My tears stopped and a sudden blanket of calm fell over me.  
  
"I love you..." I whispered as felt myself drifting off. I felt his lips against mine for a moment.  
  
"I love you too koi..." Those were the last words I heard before unconsciousness took over.

* * *

I awoke to warmth on my face and opened my eyes to see the sun shining in through the shade covering the window. I sat up and looked down at the empty space beside me.  
  
I picked up Kiyoshi and held him close to me, bowing my head, closing my eyes tightly. I stood up and walked through the door into the main part of the hut. I looked around at the emptiness, a pot of leftover stew sit in a pot steam rising from it, probably having been warmed by a fire that had been put out.  
  
I continued on and walked to the door and out into the chilly morning air. A few villagers were already awake and working in the fields and some village women were gathering food from the crops growing near the rice patty fields. I looked down and saw foot prints in the soft dirt leading off towards the forest. I looked across the small bit of field to the forest, staring, hopefully to get a glimpse of red. I shook my head and frowned, closing my eyes and bowing my head.  
  
True to his word, Inuyasha had left. I felt tears in my eyes, but I held them back, not allowing them to fall. I raised my head and looked back at the forest.  
  
"Please be safe Inuyasha... and come back soon." I whispered into the wind before turning back into the hut to gather some things and go to Kaede's hut.

* * *

Ok, that's it for now. Sorry for the short chapter, and for now being gone for another week. Eh heh heh... Anyway, this is an idea that came to me as I typed, so let me know what you all think.  
  
Oh and while writing this chapter I listened to the CD "See Into Your Soul" by Tim Reynolds. Let me know how this one compares to the other chapters, when I listened to "The Moment" by Kenny G.  
  
**Please review!**  
  
Ja ne! 


	23. Return

Hey everyone, long time no update huh? I apologize for that. I was out of state for a while, then came home, cleaned, and now my relatives are up here at my house till Friday. Basically, it's been a little hectic to be writing fanfiction, and I can't really think straight. Anyway, this chapter is going to once again be a Kagome POV only because I tried and failed to put something together about Inuyasha. Sorry once again for making you wait so long.  
  
_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
**_  
**Winter's Night: Chapter 23**  
  
**_Kagome's POV_**   
  
I sit curled up beneath the tree that rests beside the river. The air is warm now and the feel of spring is everywhere. The seasons have come and gone, and it's been a year and a half since Inuyasha left. I have not heard from him at all, though a few months after he departed, Sesshomaru came to the village to talk to me.  
  
The almighty demon lord Sesshomaru came walking into the quiet village with Rin running in front of him, throwing flowers around and constantly racing circles around Jaken. Sango and I had been watching Shippo and Kiyoshi when the group came towards us and we couldn't help but laugh with some amusement when we noticed that there were some flowers stuck in Sesshomaru's hair and fluff.  
  
After our laughing, Shippo went off with Rin to play jokes on Jaken, and Sesshomaru and I talked inside mine and Inuyasha's hut. . Sesshomaru and I talked for a while, him telling me about what had happened to Inuyasha. He said that since there was a major threat to me and our son, that Inuyasha's demon blood had surfaced in order to protect what was his. His demon blood however would not be fully subdued due to the fact that Inuyasha's instincts had basically taken over and would not allow something to happen to me ever again, and therefore it overtook Inuyasha in order to make him stronger and more able to defend against any threats. Needless to say, after the whole conversation my head was spinning, and to be truthful, I still don't quite get it all.  
  
Sesshomaru left towards dusk, saying that he did not know when Inuyasha would return, but that if he heard anything he would send a message to the village for me. It was amazing to see how much he has changed since the first time Inuyasha and I had gone against him. After the final battle with Naraku, when he sided with us, Inuyasha and he seemed to kind of have a sort of new found respect for each other, and though they still fought from time to time, they seemed to finally accept that they were brothers.  
  
A whole lot has changed since the first time I ever laid eyes on Inuyasha, and for the most part life has been alright.  
  
"Mama!" I'm brought from my thoughts by a voice and I look to see a little ball of silver and blue launch itself at me. I quickly stand up and catch him, smiling down as his small arms wrap around.  
  
"You should be more careful baby." I laugh as he nuzzles his head under my chin. He pulls back and grins.  
  
"Guess what me and Shippo found mama." I set him down on his own feet and kneel down in front of him.  
  
"What did you find?"  
  
"We found this old well in a field in the forest. I wanted to explore it more, but Shippo said it was a bad idea and he made me come back." He frowns slightly and then looks up at me with a hopeful look on his face. "Could I please go back and explore around it more mama? I promise to be careful."  
  
I sigh and frown. I never told Kiyoshi about the old well or that I'm from five hundred years in the future. I tried to forget all about it the moment I left from there for the very last time. I shake my head. "No Kiyoshi, I don't want you going around there again."  
  
"But mama!" I shake my head and put a hand on his head, reaching and rubbing one of his ears softly.  
  
"Listen sweetie, it's dangerous by the well and I don't want you to get hurt."  
  
"But I won't get hurt, I can take care of myself." He says holding up his claws to prove his point. He's just as stubborn as his father...  
  
"Kiyoshi, though you are a hanyou and you have grown up faster, you are still only two years old. I don't want you wandering around that place, especially if you're alone."  
  
I watch as his ears droop and he looks down at the ground. "Fine..."  
  
"Hey, don't act like that. Look, if you're good for the rest of the day, I promise I'll make sashimi and the noodles you like so much."  
  
"Really?" he asks, his eyes now wide and staring at me, a big grin on his face.  
  
"Mm hmm." I nod and he jumps at me, hugging me again.  
  
"Thanks mama, I promise to be good!" I smile as he releases me and runs off to find Shippo and play. I glance up at the sky and stand up, making my way back to mine and Inuyasha's hut to prepare lunch. Even though Inuyasha had told me to go live with Kaede while he would be gone, I couldn't bring myself to leave the hut that we had been sharing since we had become mates. Once inside, I get to work, preparing the rice and fish first and then beginning on the noodles. Without ramen, I had to come up with a way to make a substitute. It's pretty close to the real thing and Kiyoshi really likes it. Like father like son.  
  
"Kagome!" I jump at the shout and quickly run out of the hut to see Shippo running towards me.  
  
"What is it Shippo?" I ask. I look down at him and notice Kiyoshi isn't with him. "W-Where's Kiyoshi?"  
  
"He ran off into the forest saying he saw a demon. Kirara ran after him and I ran as fast as I could here to get you."  
  
My eyes widen and I run inside, quickly grabbing my bow and quiver of arrows. I run outside and Shippo runs ahead of me, leading me in the direction Kiyoshi went. I sense a demonic presence and quicken my pace. As we run into the forest, the sounds of battle reach my ears. Suddenly a scream rings out through the air and my heart clenches in my chest.  
  
"Kiyoshi!" I yell and run faster. I come to the clearing where the well is to see my son lying unconscious at the base of a tree, a large centipede demon hovering over him. The demon looks over at me, hearing my yell. He smirks and lunges at me, his eyes glowing a fierce red. I gasp and quickly draw my bow ready to strike it when a bright gold flash fills the clearing and a ear splitting scream resonates in the air. I hide my eyes and turn back once the light fades.  
  
My eyes widen as I gaze at the figure standing over the now dead centipede demon. Silver hair billows in the soft breeze, golden eyes staring at me. A bundle of blue and silver sits in his arms and the tell tale smirk adorns his face.  
  
"Inu... yasha..." I gasp out staring in disbelief at my mate standing there with our son in his arms.  
  
"Well, are you going to come here, or make me come to you?" he smirks. I smile as tears fill my eyes and I run towards him, throwing my arms around him, cautious of our son. I feel his dirty and tattered haori beneath my arms and hold him tighter, the strange coppery scent of blood reaching my nose. I look up at his face to see the stripes gone and a scar running over his right eye.  
  
"Inuyasha..." I whisper and I can't stop the tears that slowly glide down my cheeks as I trace my finger over the scar that stands out on his otherwise unharmed face. He smiles softly and leans his head down, kissing me gently before standing upright.  
  
"I'll tell you about it later. Let's just go home."  
  
I smile and wipe the tears from my face. "Yes, let's go home."  
  
================================================================  
  
I know, a really bad chapter. First of all I found out that I have writer's block, though this chapter somehow got it to become better, and second, I chose the wrong music and had people constantly hanging around me... sigh Sorry everyone.  
  
Please review!  
  
Ja ne minna ! 


	24. Home and the Beginning of the Tale

Hey everyone! It's an update! OMG! Sorry for taking slow long to update, I just couldn't think of anything to write... damn I hate writer's block. But have no fear, I'm back and I think I have a pretty good idea of where to take the story. So without further ado, chapter 24!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Winter's Night: Chapter 24**

_**Inuyasha's POV**_

The walk back to our hut was silent as my mate and I walked, her clinging to my arm, our son still resting in my arms. My ears twitched, listening for any more threats, but only picking up the sound of our feet and the little kitsune that walks ahead of us, Kirara at his side. He really has grown quite a bit since I left, and hopefully he's matured a little bit.

We come to the edge of the forest and I pause looking over the peaceful village. It's so much different from the places I've been to during my travel, and it's strange to say it, but I'm glad to be back. Even though this village brings back so many bad memories, the good ones out number them ten to one. Ever since Kagome entered my life, it's always been that way.

I'm pulled out of my trance by a slight tug on my arm and I look over at Kagome, her eyes showing her worry. I smile and kiss her forehead before I start walking again. Dusk is beginning to settle over everything, the sky a swirling mass of pinks, purples, and darker shades of colors. It really is a magnificent sight, and sort of a good way to symbolize the end of my journey as the return home.

Our hut sits apart from the others, the nearest hut being Kaede's. I push aside the mat covering the doorway, letting Kagome go in first. I look behind me to Shippo with a questioning look when he doesn't follow her and he smiles.

"I'm going to inform the others that you're back." He said before running off with Kirara. I watch him disappear into the village and turn, entering the hut, letting the mat to fall back in place over the door. Kagome comes up to me and takes Kiyoshi from my arms, laying him on a small futon in the corner of the room, covering him gently with a small blanket.

She stood and smiled at me, before walking over to the fire pit that had been left going, food laid out, ready to be cooked. She must've been getting dinner ready when the demon showed up. I walked over and sat down across from her and watched as she took some noodles out of the pot, putting them into a bowl.

"You should eat something." She said, holding the bowl out to me. "Knowing you, you're hungry."

I blinked a couples times and took to bowl from her. I stared at the food causing my stomach to growl which in turn threw my mate into a fit of giggles. I snorted and tasted the food before completely devouring it within a matter of minutes. I set the bowl down and looked up at Kagome, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Guess you were hungry..." she spoke, a smile coming to her lips.

"Feh." I said, smirking at her. At that a comfortable, yet somewhat awkward silence fell over us as she stirred the noodles, my eyes on the blazing fire.

"Inuyasha?" She whispers, breaking the silence. I look up to her, my eyes meeting her blue-gray ones that are glazed over with unshed tears. I frown slightly and get up, going over to her side of the fire, and crouching down, wrapping my arms around her slender form, holding her close. Her hands clench my tattered haori and I can feel her body shake as she slowly loses control, the scent of water and salt hitting my nose full force.

"Shh... please don't cry koi..." I whisper, rubbing her back gently trying to calm her. Slowly her shaking stops and she pulls back a little, her eyes meeting mine. I reach up with one of my hands, gently cupping her cheek, brushing her tears away with my thumb.

"Inuyasha... what happened?" she asks quietly and I can see her eyes break away from mine, glancing at the scar that runs over my eye. I look away to the side, not really wanting to me her gaze. If I tell her what happened, she'll only cry and be upset. But if I don't tell her, she'll be even more upset because she'll feel that I don't trust her...

I'm suddenly pulled from my thoughts at a pain that runs through my side causing me to gasp involuntarily. I fall back on to my backside on the floor from my crouching position, my hand going to where the pain is. I know I'm wounded, but my mind really wasn't thinking about them. Guess I should've...

I feel hands on me and look up at Kagome as she unties my haori, having a little trouble with the knot. I place my hand over hers and remove them from the knot, untying it myself with ease, after all, I've been wearing this thing my entire life. I shrug my shoulders, my haori slipping off just as Kagome begins to remove my inner kimono that is blotched with old and newer blood stains. Finally pulling it off, I hear her gasp and feel her soft warm hands, gently run over my chest that has various scars and still slightly bleeding wounds, the one on my side bleeding the most.

I can smell her tears return and I sigh, placing my hand over hers once again. She looks up at me, a sad look to her eyes before she gets up and rushes over to the back room of the hut, going inside and moments later coming back out with bandages and a box of herbs. I shake my head slightly. My wounds will heal eventually, but if she wants to heal me, there's no stopping her.

I watch as she sets everything down and tries to remove the pot with the noodles from the fire to put on a smaller one. I get up and place my hands on the handle of the pot, causing her gaze to fly up to me.

"You're going to hurt yourself more..." she scolds lightly. I shrug and lift the heavy pot, setting it off to the side.

"I can handle it." I tell her, setting the other pot over the fire. I look around and walk over by the door, picking up a wooden bucket of water, pouring it into the pot over the fire. She glares at me and I can't help but smile.

"Alright, alright, I'm resting." I mock as I sit down by the healing supplies, my back against the wall. She gives me a warning glance before going back to healer mode. I watch as she puts various herbs into the now hot water, the scent of it all causing my nose to scrunch up in disgust and me to become somewhat dizzy. I put a hand to my forehead, rubbing my eyes.

"Are you ok?" I hear my mate ask and I nod slightly in response.

"I'm great, the headache that I'm starting to get is the perfect way of taking my mind off my other injuries." I say sarcastically. She blushes slightly, though I'm not sure why, and she gets up, pushing the wooden boards over the windows, placing the small block of wood in the way to hold them open, letting fresh air into the hut. I take a deep breath and already feel my headache slowly begin to dissipate. My eyes follow Kagome as she makes a pasty substance out of the herbs and water, putting it in a small bowl before coming over to me and kneeling down in front of me.

She takes a cloth from a pail of water, and wipes the blood off my chest and abdomen, being careful around my side wound. She the sets the cloth back in the water causing the water to turn a strange brownish red color.

"This may sting a little." She says as she scoops some of her herbal paste onto her fingers and begins to gently rubs it into my skin, over my wounds. I hiss as she places some over the wound in my side causing her to pull her hand away, looking up at me with guilty saddened eyes.

"It's ok, just keep going." I tell her and she hesitantly puts more paste on my wound. I bite my lip to keep myself from making any more noise as she finishes up with the paste and begins to wrap my chest and side with bandages.

"How are you feeling?" she asks, tying the last knot in the bandages so that they are securely around me.

"Better." I smile and she wraps her arms around me in a gentle embrace, being cautious of my now bandaged wounds. I wrap my arms around her in return, tangling one of my clawed hands in her ebony locks, resting my cheek against the top of her head, breathing in her intoxicating scent that I have missed for so long.

"I missed you Kagome." I whisper, allowing my eyes to close as I gently nuzzle her.

"I missed you too, Inuyasha." She whispers back, this time the scent of tears not coming to my nose. I smile and another silence engulfs us. We just sit there, enjoying each other's presence, not wanting to let go any time soon.

Time passes and I glance towards the window, seeing the now dark sky, stars twinkling, the silver moon rising higher. It's a beautiful night, but a cool breeze comes in, causing both my mate and I to shiver. I release her reluctantly and get up from my position on the floor, walking over to the windows and closing them, the coolness now fading as the warmth of the fire spreads unchallenged throughout the hut. I walk back over to Kagome and sit down, resuming my position. She wraps her arms around my waist and leans against my uninjured side, closing her eyes as I hear her sigh.

"Inuyasha?" she asks quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Please... tell me where you went, how you got hurt like you did, what happened."

I sigh knowing that I can't avoid the subject any longer. She's my mate, my love, she has a right to know where I've been for so long and what happened to cause me to come back in the condition that I'm currently in. I wrap one arm around her waist and lean my head back against the wall, so that my gaze is slightly lifted to the ceiling.

"Where do you want me to begin?" I ask quietly, memories of where I had been, what I had done, flashing through my head.

"The beginning, when you left." I nod and take a deep breath, recalling my journey.

"Well, after I left here, I walked towards the west, the lands that my brother controls. I figured that if anyone knew anything about what had happened to me, it would be Sesshomaru, no matter how much I hated to even think it."

_**Inuyasha's Tale**_

_((A/N: Sorry to interrupt, but instead of telling the story from Inuyasha's mouth, I'm gonna write it how it happened, like a flashback type of thing. Enjoy.))_

I was walking through a dark forest, memories coming to my mind from when I was young, and how I had been forced to live in this forest so long ago after my mother had passed on. I came to a clearing soon, the castle former castle of my father, now currently under the ownership of Sesshomaru, visible in the distance. I sighed heavily and trudged onward when laughing drifted my ears. I looked up to see a young human girl run across the field. She stopped suddenly and looked over at me before smiling and running up to me. I was slightly confused. I had seen this girl before, but I couldn't quite remember where.

"Hello sir." She smiled, startling me from my thoughts. I looked down at her before crouching down.

"Who are you?" I asked. She was opened her mouth to answer when a cold voice spoke up, cutting her off.

"Rin, come here."

"Yes, my lord!" She said, turning and running over to the figure. My eyes narrowed as I rose to my feet, my eyes meeting the steady gaze of my brother.

"Sesshomaru." I said, my voice calm but still rough. Even though we had made a truce when we fought Naraku, as brothers we still didn't get along.

"Inuyasha." He said in his usual emotionless tone. "What brings you to my domain?"

"I've..." I started. "I've come, to ask for your help."

I watched as he raised an eyebrow in question. "And what makes you believe that I would help you?"

I growled quietly and glared at him. "Look, something happened and now I can't revert back to my normal hanyou form, so I need to know if you know of any way to revert back to it."

He slowly began to walk towards me, as I remained still, straight, my gaze as steady as his. He stopped a meter away and stared at me, his gaze scrutinizing me. I narrowed my eyes and growled again, but he only looked at me with his stupid calm look. Damn he got on my nerves.

"Of course I know of the way for you to revert back to your original form." He said calmly. "However you will have to travel quite far and defeat something that has been alive for over two thousand years."

I stared at him, slightly stunned that he was willing to help. "So, where do I have to go and what is the thing I gotta kill?"

"Come." He said, turning and walking towards the castle in the distance. "I will explain at the castle."

I stared after him as continued walking, the little girl falling in beside him, skipping along happily. Needless to say I was a little more than shocked that he was willing to help me, but even more stunned by the little girl, Rin, who he was accompanied by and the fact that he was inviting me to the castle that I used to call home.

I shook my head, clearing the thoughts from my mind, before following after them.

After we had arrived at the castle, I was lead by Sesshomaru to the Great Hall. Sesshomaru took a book from a bookcase and we stood around a circular table that had a large map of Japan and nearby nations painted on it.

"You will have to travel south, to Kagoshima. It used to be a small village, but it was an excellent place for trade and has been growing ever since. It is a very busy place, crawling with humans, so somehow you'll have to get on a ship going to Shanghai, another growing town, though it's in the country of China. From there you will have to travel to Mt. Joma. That is where you will find the ancient Dragon demon." He finished, opening the book.

"Great... another dragon..." I muttered, thinking of Ryokotsusei.

"Excuse me?" I looked at Sesshomaru.

"I had to kill that dragon Ryokotsusei, the one that the old man didn't finish off, in order to seal my demon blood before and learn Bakuryuha. "I explained. "It's kind of ironic that I have to fight another dragon to do basically the same thing."

"Ironic indeed." He said. "However, I believe that this dragon may prove more of a challenge than Ryokotsusei."

"Sounds like fun..." I said sarcastically as I watched him pull a fold piece of paper from the book. "What's that?"

"A map, so that you're stupidity won't get you lost. You do know how to read a map, correct?"

I narrowed my eyes and growled, grabbing the map from his hands. "Of course I know how to read a map. I'm not a dimwit."

"Could've fooled me."

"What was that?!"

"Jaken!" He called, ignoring me.

"Yes, my lord?" The stupid little toad came out of no where. Really, I don't get how my brother puts up with that thing.

"Show my brother to a room. He will be staying the night."

"The hell I will!" I yelled. "I came for help, and now that I got it, I'm leaving now."

"You are a fool." He said. "Leave if you wish."

"Feh." I snorted and turned to leave only to feel something bump into me. I looked down to see that little girl from earlier, on her bottom on the floor, staring up at me with sad eyes.

"Please stay the night Inuyasha-sama. Rin would like you to stay and play..." she said, tears coming to her eyes. I sighed and crouched down in front of the girl, placing my hand on her head.

"Fine, I'll stay, but only one night." I said. I was startled when she smiled and jumped me, hugging me tightly.

"Thank you Inuyasha-sama!" She smiled, taking my hand and pulling me out of the room. "Let's go-"she started but stopped, turning her gaze to the small toad thing. "Oh Jaken-sama..." she grinned. The toad's eyes widened and he started to back away. I rolled my eyes and grabbed him by the back of his robes, lifting him up.

"Release me at once you filthy half-breed!"

I growled and punched him in the head, effectively knocking him out. "Alright Rin, let's go play." I said, walking with her out of the room. She giggled and followed happily beside me.

After about an hour or two of playing 'torture the toad', Sesshomaru found us to take Rin to bed.

"Good night Inuyasha-sama." She smiled and hugged me, before running off ahead of Sesshomaru down the hall. My brother turned to me.

"Your room is this way." He said, walking after Rin. I nodded and stood up, giving Jaken one last good kick, before following him.

"Hey Sesshomaru, why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Taking care of a human child, actually treating me like your brother. It's starting to make me believe that you're an imposter or you just got hit on the head really, really hard." I said.

"That is none of your business." He said, his tone saying that he was annoyed. But was I ever one to stop when someone was annoyed? Hell no!

"I believe it is. I mean seeing the almighty Sesshomaru with a little girl frolicking around him, and actually treating his hanyou brother with even some respect, is quite strange."

Suddenly he stopped walking and I stared at him, half expecting him to turn around and hit me, but he didn't.

"I will not confide in you the reasons why I take care of Rin. However, I am treating you as my brother, because after you and your mate defeated Naraku, you brought some honor to your blood. It is only right that I at least show you some respect and acknowledge you as my brother and as the son of our late father." He said before he started walking again. Needless to say, I was shocked at my brother, but I just shook my head and followed after him, gaining respect for the cold blooded demon that had until now, been as cruel to me as one can be to someone else.

* * *

There you have it folks, chapter 24. For the next few chapters, I'll be explaining what happened to Inuyasha in flashback format. If anyone has any ideas for the name of the Chinese Dragon Demon, let me know.

Please Review!!!

Until next time, ja ne!


	25. Inuyasha's Tale, continued

Eh heh, hi. I know, it's been a long time since my last update. I started school on the 8th and since then, it's just been school, school, school... I hate school... Anyway, here I am with an update, though I lost any idea of where I was gonna go with this, but once I start typing, maybe it'll just come to me. Here goes nothing.

**Winter's Night: Chapter 25**

**Inuyasha's Tale**

**_Inuyasha's POV_**

As soon as the sun rose I was up and ready to go. I snuck quietly, but quickly, through the hallways of the castle, trying to find my way out. Finally after a good half an hour wasted I found the Main Hall, but I growled in frustration at what was on the way to the door. I could smell my brother's scent further down, as well as Rin's. Sighing, I walked along the hall, glancing into each door that I passed. So far so good.

"Inuyasha-sama!"

Guess I spoke to soon...

"Hi Rin." I said, trying to be nice while being frustrated at the same time. I mean, she's a good kid and all, I just don't want to spend anymore time here when I have a mission to complete. A mission to complete... since when did I start talking like that?

"Where are you going Inuyasha-sama? Aren't you going to stay and play with Rin today?" I looked down at the girl in front of me and sighed, crouching down to her level.

"Look Rin, I have something very important that I must do, so I can't stay." I saw her eyes tear up and quickly added "but when I get back, maybe you can convince my brother to bring you to my village."

"Really?" she asked her eyes going wide, her hands clasped together in front of her. I nodded and she squealed, running back through the door that she came out of. I heard her fast talk as I slipped passed and out of the castle.

Finally out in the open, I glanced at the map Sesshomaru had given me, and ran off in the direction that it said to go. It was a little confusing at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. I kept running till about mid day, when I came to a lake. I looked at the map again, noting that I was still on the right path, and decided to stop, but only for a minute or two.

I looked at the body of water that lay before me and shrugged. I might as well make good use of it while I'm here. Checking my surroundings with my ears and nose, noticing no one near, I slipped off my haori and the top part of my inner kimono, setting them on the shore of the lake. I looked at the water and dove in, the cool water separating as I went under. I stayed until water for a moment before going to the surface for some air. I laid back and proceeded to just float on the water, watching an occasional flock of birds fly overhead. It was quiet, and that was strange. I don't mean like deathly quiet, like something was going to happen, but just quiet. No squeaky voice rattling off a thousand questions a minute, no slapping sounds, no laughing or carrying on. It was weird. I had grown so accustomed to having my friends and mate around, that not having them around left me feeling rather empty inside.

I sighed and swam back to the shore, climbing out and shaking the water from my body. I stood there for a second, just staring out at nothing before I shook myself from my reverie and slipped my discarded clothing back on. I took one last glance at the lake before moving on, at a slightly slower pace than before, the emptiness sinking in more and more.

I keep telling myself that I have to do this on my own, that I couldn't have asked my friends to come with me because then they'd be in danger, especially if I transformed. I did what was right, I left them in the village for their safety. I'd just have to push the empty feeling aside and press on. The sooner I kill this dragon or whatever, the sooner I can get home.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't get a ride?!"

"You're a demon, I do not allow demons to travel on my ship."

I growled in annoyance and stomped away from the old man. I have been traveling for about a week and a half, and have finally reached Kagoshima. Now if only I can get a ship out of this hellish place, then I'll be set.

"Psst, mister." My ears twitched bringing me from my thoughts and I looked down at a bush I was passing. There stood a boy, probably a few years younger than Kagome, a piece of cloth over his head and some pretty beat up clothes on.

"What do you want?" I growled.

"Well I heard that you're looking for a ride across the sea to Shanghi."

"So what if I am? It's not like you can help me."

"Actually..." the boy said looking down then back up at me, a big grin on his face. "I can."

I looked at the boy strangely, before narrowing my eyes and growling.

"Don't mess with me kid, I not in the mood for some prank." I flexed my claws and smirked mentally as the boy stepped back.

"It... It's not a prank. My father had a small ship that he left my sister and me before he passed on. We're going to China with it to search for our mother." He said, his voice shaky as he looked away after saying that, a pained expression on his face.

"Why do you have to go there to search for your mother?" I asked. I didn't pick up any change in his scent as he spoke, so he couldn't be lying, not unless he could somehow fool a demon's senses, which I doubt a mere human boy could do.

"Well, my father and her had gone across the sea to trade some goods and also my mother has family there that she wished to visit. So my father left her with her family and came back here. When he went back again, my mother's family said that she had been taken by the dragon of Mt. Joma."

I stared at him for a moment. "The dragon of Mt. Joma?"

"Yes." He looked up at me, a curious expression on his face. "Why?"

"I've gotta kill him." I said simply. He didn't need to know my reasons for having to do it.

I watched his eyes widen and his mouth drop open slightly. I rolled my eyes and whack the kid lightly upside the head.

"Hey!" he yelled, rubbing his head.

"Hey yourself kid." I said, crossing my arms. "Now are we gonna go or not?"

He blinked a few times and the nodded turning and leading me into a small forest to which when we came out of there was a hut and a small dock.

"This is it." He said turning back to me. I nodded and looked around.

"By the way, what's your name?" I heard him ask.

"Inuyasha." I said sniffing around. "Yours?"

"Shingo Ariyoshi." I nodded and sniffed again. I swear I can smell a demon, but where is it?

"Hey Yumi, I found someone to come with us!" I heard the boy call as he ran off towards the dock. I suddenly got a whiff of the demon scent and look towards the dock. There stood a demon that looked like Kirara in her larger for, only it was blue and looked like it fin for a tail. I would have run over an attacked it, had Shingo not walked up to it and petted it.

"What the hell?" I asked as I walked over to the dock.

"Oh, Inuyasha, this is Ao. He pulls the boat so that we travel faster."

I nodded but still stared. Other than Sango, I had never known of anyone to have a demon as a companion. This I didn't expect, especially if the kid was a son of a merchant.

"Is this him?" a voice behind me asked, breaking my thoughts.

"Yeah. Inuyasha, Yumi. Yumi, Inuyasha." Shingo said in answer to her question. The person, Yumi, walked around in front of me, and I glared at her.

"He's a half demon." She said, looking over at Shingo.

"You're one to talk, girl." I growled causing her to jump back with a yelp. Doesn't surprise me that a kitsune hanyou would be scared.

"Look, let's just get going." Shingo said, grabbing Yumi and helping her walk up the board and onto the ship.

"Feh." I walked passed him and walked onto the ship going to sit on the deck on the back end. Shingo then helped Yumi put some sort of harness on Ao, and the water cat, dove into the water and began pulling the small ship.

The sun began to set a while later, and I looked up as the sky began to darken. The sound of footsteps approaching brought me back from where my mind had wandered off to, and I looked to see Shingo approaching me.

"What?" I asked gruffly, turning my gaze back to the sky for a moment.

"It's getting dark so I figured that I'd let you know that you can go below deck if you want. There's a sleeping area with a few mats laid out."

"I'd rather just stay out here."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." I said, standing and stretching. "So, how long will it take us to get to Shanghi?"

"Well usually it takes ships a few months to get there."

"A few months?!"

"However, with Ao pulling the ship, it should only take about one and a half at most." I growled slightly and rubbed my temples. I didn't know it would take this long to travel. I turned my gaze back to the sky, thoughts of not seeing Kagome and Kiyoshi for longer than I thought, running through my head.

"You have someone back at your village waiting for you, don't you?" I looked at him strangely and he just looked up at the sky. "My father got the same look on his face that you just had, when he had left my mother in Shanghi with her family. Every night, I would see him sitting out on the dock staring out over the ocean, that look on his face telling me that he was thinking of mother."

"Were both your parents human Shingo?" I asked. He nodded. "Then how can your younger sister be a hanyou? I mean it sounds like your parents were really in love, so why would either of them go off with a demon?"

"Neither of them did..." he clenched a fist at his side. "One time when my father had gone to trade, my mother went into the forest looking for some herbs for some medication that she was making. When she came back, it was the next day, her clothes were in shreds and her face was stained with tears. She had been jumped by a crazy kitsune demon and raped. When she later realized that she was pregnant, she did not want to kill the child for something it could not control. So when Yumi was born, my mother and father raised her as if she was both their child, and not the child of a rape."

I looked at the shaking boy beside me and shook my head looking back at the sky. It was always sick to think that some demons did that to humans. The creatures that they considered vile and the scourge of the land, and some youkai decided to take out his lusts on one. But then again humans did the same thing, just to other humans, not another species.

"I'm going to go check on Yumi." Shingo spoke quietly. "Can you keep an eye on Ao?"

I nodded and watched the boy leave before I walked to the head of the ship. I leaned against the wooden rail and stared out at the rolling dark ocean that lay before the ship, nothing but water everywhere. I sighed and looked down at Ao, who seemed to be going just as she had earlier, not looking fatigued at all. Seeing that the cat was alright, I turned my gaze back to the ocean, my mind turning back to my own thoughts.

* * *

Well there you have it, chapter 25. I know, it's not that great and I really couldn't think of what to do. Plus, someone wanted Inuyasha to meet new people, so there ya go, he met new people.

Please Review!

Ja ne!


	26. Home is Where the Heart Is

Hello everyone. Eh heh heh… I know, it's been a long time since the last update. I've just been so crammed down with school, college searches, creative writing class draining my brain, and then every single weekend since September, my family has had some sort of "family project" to do… So, I'm really sorry about not updating for so long. I'm going to try and finish this fic before the New Year, but we'll see how that goes.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, however Shingo, Yumi, and Ao are characters created by me.**

**Winter's Night**

**Chapter 26 (finally)**

_**Inuyasha's POV**_

The night passed way too slow. I didn't sleep at all; constant thoughts of home and the upcoming fight ran through my head non-stop. I growl in frustration and lay back on my back on the deck. We've been at see for a month now, and every night since the beginning of the voyage, my mind has refused to let me sleep. Also the fact that beginning on a ship with limited space has made me restless. My muscles ache from lack of use, and I just feel so… blah.

I sigh and sit up staring over the rail of the ship. Blue. Ocean. Waves. Oh look, a fish jumped. I rest my forehead against the rail and allow my eyes to close. I think I'm slowly becoming insane, or at least will be by the time this is over.

Once the voyage ends, I get to go, journey far into China, search for some mountain, kill a dragon, travel all the way back, get on another boat, wait longer to get back to Japan, and then travel home. Talk about having a lot to do…

"Inuyasha?" My twitch as I'm brought from my thoughts. I grunt in response, not really wanting to talk.

"Hey, are you ok?" Footsteps get nearer and then stop besides me.

"I'm just peachy." I growl sarcastically. Why can't she take the hint and just leave me the hell alone? If I have to sink down into misery and insanity, then I want to do it by myself.

"Are you sure, cause you look like you're going to get sick…"

"I ain't gonna get sick, so just leave me the hell alone!" I growl and finally look up at the kitsune hanyou next to me. She steps back in surprise and I turn back to the ocean. "Damn, why do all you kitsune have to be so damn annoying?"

"Y-You know other kitsune?" She asked, her voice stuttering a bit. I look up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, they're not that uncommon. Besides, one of my sons is one." I sigh. Thoughts of home, Shippo, Kiyoshi, Kagome, all run through my head. Why did that damn wolf have to show up and want to fight? Why didn't my demon blood recede enough for me to be a full hanyou again? If none of that had ever happened, I'd still be home, still with Kagome.

"Hello?" I snap out of my thoughts and stare up at the girl leaning down, her hand in my face. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Feh." I mutter and turn away, standing up to lean against the rail of the boat, my arms crossed. "Why aren't you gone yet?"

"Oh, someone's a little touchy." Yumi said mimicking my position. I growled but she just ignored me. "So… what were you thinking about just now?"

"None of your damn business."

"Oh come on, I bet you were thinking about someone back where you came from, someone who loves you dearly, who you love just as much, if not more." I stare at her in shock before turning back the ocean.

"Heh, am I that easy to read?" I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye and shook my head. "I am losing my sanity…"

"No, you're just a weary traveler. All first time sailors are." I shook my head, still not happy with that logic. "Anyway, who's this girl you left behind?"

"My mate." I state, my eyes going half closed.

"Really? You found a mate? Even as hanyou?" I nod and can tell she's shocked.

"Kagome, my mate, she's different from anyone else. She loves me for who I am, she doesn't care that I'm only half human."

"So she's a human then?"

"Yeah, and a priestess to boot." I hear a gasp and smirk. "She's one of a kind, and so is our family; an adopted kitsune son, and then our son Kiyoshi." Images flash in my head. The day Kouga attacked slides through my mind, how close I had come to losing my world. I shake my head to dispel the images and tuck my head down, my forehead resting on my folded arms.

I hear footsteps slowly move away as Yumi walks away. I lift my head a little, staring out at the vast blanket of blue. Nothing but ocean as far as I can see. I sigh. I'm really all alone…

* * *

Squawking, loud voices, yelling. I open my eyes and stand to stare towards the front of the boat. My eyes widen at the ship.

Hundreds of ships line the shore, people crowd the docks and everything beyond them. I sniff the air and stumble holding my head. Too many scents at once; the ocean, salt, fish, and the massive swarms of people on land.

"It's market day." A voice beyond me says and I turn to see Shingo. "I don't suppose you can change your appearance at all, can you? The Chinese don't take too lightly to Japanese demons."

I shook my head and he sighed. Stupid human, I don't care how the people would react, it's not like they could do anything to me anyway.

"Why the hell should I hide myself, I can just walk off of her and then go to the nearest forest and then- "I stopped when something fell over my head. I growled and pulled it off, turning to stare at the culprit.

"Eh heh… "Yumi held up her hands in defense. "Why don't you just wear a cloth like my brother? It'll hide your ears and we can tie your hair back…"

I glared. "There ain't any fucking way I'm –"

"That's a great idea Yumi." Shingo said picking up the cloth. I growled and he stepped back. "Come on, we don't want the people here to start anything."

"Yeah, I really don't feel like getting ridiculed today." Yumi stated, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. I growled.

"Feh." I snorted and plopped down on the deck. Immediately Shingo tied the cloth over my head, and then tied my hair back with a piece of thin rope. He stepped back and I stood back up, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Happy?" I growled. Shingo nodded.

"Now let's get ready to go, we have to find an inn to stay at and then once settled we can plan what we're going to do about getting to Mt. Joma." He said as he walked towards the front of the ship. I rolled my eyes and turned to go get my haori which I had discarded in the warmth of the night, when I stopped, Yumi staring at me.

"What?" I growled.

"You don't look half bad, for a dog." She smiled and walked after her brother. I glared at her and took a few steps grabbing my haori off the deck before following after them.

I saw Ao jump on the deck and transform into a smaller form as the boat drifted up to the shore. I stood and watched as Shingo and Yumi tied the ship to posts on the dock and jumped off the boat followed by Ao to where they were.

After they finished checking the boat, I followed them as we went into the large village. People were everywhere and they were slowly pissing me off. Some stared and pointed, speaking in a language I didn't understand. I glared at them and they ran off inside. Cowards.

I turned my eyes back to the siblings in front of me and continued to follow them to the outskirts of the village. They walked a little ways into the forest and soon a rather nice looking inn came into view. Shingo walked up to the entrance and spoke with a man in a foreign language before turning to Yumi and I and waving for us to follow. We did and the man called three women who lead us each to different rooms.

I looked around amazed at how the room looked. There was a fire pit in the middle, but that was the only thing remotely similar to the inns back in Japan. Paintings covered the walls, depicting a variety of humans, nature, all done in rich colors. A thick mat lay near the fire pit; a fur blanket lay over it with another blanket of a softer smoother material laying over that. I sat on the mat and looked around the rest of the room. There was a door that lead outside, cushions stacked against the wall, and then another door. I stood an walked over to the door, sliding it open.

A bath.

I smile and close the door, flipping the latch to lock it. I stripped out of my clothing and tossed it in a pile near the bath. I slipped into the water and sank down in it, sitting down. I pulled the cloth off my head and the tie out of my hair, tossing them with my clothes. I went underwater after a few minutes, soaking my hair before coming to the surface and resting against the edge of the bath.

My mind wanders thoughts of home returning. If Kagome were hear, she'd be having the time of her life just relaxing in the bath. Images of us giving Kiyoshi a bath play through my head only to be replaced of images of just the two of us in taking a bath. The way she'd tempt me enough to drive me to the brink of losing control before one of us would make the first move, and it would all cycle downward from there.

I feel a heat run through my veins at one particular memory of the last time we had taken a bath. We'd left Shippo and Kiyoshi with Sango and Miroku before heading off to a hot spring across the river and deep in a cave in a mountain side. We had spent the whole night there, returning to the village just before sunrise. A night heated in passion, a need to feel whole. Of course, Miroku wouldn't leave us alone about it, that is until Sango smacked him with Hiraikotsu and said that if he didn't leave us alone, he'd be alone that night.

I chuckle softly to myself, and tilt my head back, running a hand through my hair. An ache finds it's way into my chest and I wince as it only continues to grow. I close my eyes tightly, and sink down deeper into the water, until just from my eyes up is above the water.

I miss them and it hurts… it hurts too much…

* * *

A soft knock at the door rouses me, and I get up off the mat that I'd been laying on for the last hour. I open the door and a woman comes in, places a tray of food near the fire and walks out. I shake my head and go back over to the fire, only to have another knock sound through the room. I growl in annoyance and yank open the door, only to find Shingo and Yumi.

"We came to talk about tomorrow's plans." Shingo says.

"Feh." I walk over and sit on the floor near the fire, and start eating as they walk in and sit down across from me. I finish eating, and not a word has been spoken since they sat down.

"What the hell do you want to discuss about tomorrow?" I ask brushing my hand through my hair.

"Well," Shingo began, "we would like to start out early, gather some supplies, and the begin traveling-"

"No." I said cutting him off.

"No?"

"I'm traveling alone. You two will only slow me down. I want to get this over with as soon as possible so that I can return to my own village." I state firmly, glaring at them slightly.

"But our mother is with that dragon, we must help her." Yumi protested.

"Look kit, I'll bring back you're mom for you, ok?" I say. "Besides, it'll be faster if I go it alone, so she'll be back with you two faster."

"You can't go alone; you don't know the ways of the people, or their language."

"I really don't give a rat's ass if I know how these humans act, nor do I care about their fucking language. I have a map and what the dragon looks like, so all I have to do is get there, kill it, and bring back your mom. Trust me, I've gone through much more before and I'm still here ain't I?"

"But- "I growled cutting off anymore of their protests. I stood up and grabbed Tessaiga which had been lying on the mat, and left through the door to the outside. I jumped off the ground and took to the trees, running deeper into the forest. After a while, I stopped and using the light of the moon, checked the map. According to it and the stars, I was on the right path, so I kept going.

* * *

Night quickly turned to day, and then to night again. The cycle continued on, and still I ran, stopping once in a while for a short rest and quick bite to eat before moving on. The thought of 'the quicker I get this over with, the faster I can get back to Kagome' fueled my body to keep going.

I even went on during my human night, but then I had to stop at night fall because I couldn't see. I don't even know how long it's been, but I can feel that I'm getting closer. The last village on the map before the mountain I passed days ago.

I slide to a stop, reaching a cliff as I come out of the forest. I stare down across the land below and smirk spotting a great mountain in the distance, a day's run at the most. The wind rushes passed me from the direction of the mountain and I can feel the youki, smell the dragon's rancid scent. My smirk widens as I scale the cliff down to the land below, continuing to run once I reach the bottom.

I run all day, never stopping until I finally reach the base of the mountain. I stare up at the bare side of mountain. It's covered in rocks and ash, no sign of plant-life anywhere. I look around the forest and jump into the largest tree closet to the mountain. I decide to rest, just for the night. Tomorrow, the dragon would meet his end. I allowed my eyes to drift closed as I fell into the oblivion of sleep.

* * *

Hey there, that's the end of chapter 26. I apologize for it being short, and also if it's a little too miss matched. I really tried to write, but I kept getting interrupted, and my brain just doesn't seem to want to function properly. I promise to write more soon though, and try to write an awesome battle with the dragon.

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

Ja ne!


	27. Dealing with a Dragon

Hey everyone, I'm back with another update! Isn't it amazing? Eh heh heh… alright, sorry for the wait, but I actually expected to have time over the break, not be pasted by so many things… I had like 4 days of Christmas, two days of traveling, and the rest cleaning days… ugh. I'm really sorry.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except Shingo, Yumi, and Ao.**

**Winter's Night**

**Chapter 27**

_**Inuyasha's POV**_

The moon was bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Just my luck, right? The one time when I actually need to get some rest so that I'm ready for tomorrow, and sleep won't come to me. The moon casting its bright white light, illuminating the land, and glowing right in my face. I've tried to fall asleep, but nothing works. My brain has gone into overdrive thinking about the fight, getting back to my mate and pup, getting Shingo's mother back to him and his sister, finding a way to get back home, how to go about killing the dragon…

I sigh and rub my temples trying once again to will my brain to shut up and let me sleep. It doesn't, so I rise and try a walk. I use my nose and find a small stream nearby. I walk to it and crouch down beside it, splashing the cool water against my face. I stare at the slowly moving surface and sigh as more thoughts enter my already cluttered mind.

A growl escapes me as I hit the water with my open hand. Standing, I trudge back to the tree that I had been trying to sleep in and jump back up onto the branch I had been on. I try taking deep breaths and counting in my head.

'Ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, nana, hachi, kyu, jyu, jyu ichi, jyu ni…'

I feel my thoughts slowly fade away and yawn as blackness invades my mind. A smile creeps its way onto my face as I finally fall asleep.

**1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1**

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A shrill scream fills the air, jolting me out of my slumber and almost causing me to fall off the branch that I'm on. I stand up and look around only to yelp as another ear-piercing cry echoes over my surroundings. A heat fills the air and I look up as the mountain top is engulfed in flames. My eyes widen at the site before narrowing as I smirk.

"So, you finally show where you are dragon?" I jump out of the tree and run towards the mountain, jumping up it's cliffs with ease. The heat increases and another scream fills the air. My ears flatten back against my head in an attempt to block the noise, but it doesn't do much. Focusing too much on the noise, I lose my footing and fall, landing on the rock below the ledge with a loud crack. I wince as I sit up, my back screaming at me in pain.

'Idiot, how could you slip like that? And you expect to beat a dragon?'

I growl at myself and get up, ignoring the jolts of pain my movement causes. I glare up at the ledge above me before jumping up, landing on it with an extra stomp for pissing me off. Suddenly the temperature rises and I look away from the ledge up towards the fire above. My eyes widen as a ball of fire rapidly approaches. I dive towards the mountain side and duck my head against the rocky crevice. Heat surges passed me, clinging to my back. The temperature drops back down and I sigh in relief.

"Thank kami for my haori." I mumble stepping out away from the side. I narrow my eyes in concentration and resume my climb up the mountain. The higher I go, the lighter the air seems, but the heat continues to rise as I near the flames.

Finally after a few more slips, I reach the top, a wall of flames rising high above me. I look around for a way to go around it, but find nothing. I try to jump, but I barely reach half way up it. Growling, I bunch up my hair and shove it down the back of my haori. Not the most comfortable thing in the world, but I really don't feel like having my hair burned. Covering my head with my sleeves, I take a deep breath before charging the flames. The fire engulfs me, the heat burning my hands and face, the flames licking at my feet. I come out on the other side, taking rapid gulps of air.

Sweet coats my body from the heat and my excursions. I wipe my forehead with my sleeve trying to keep the substance from running down my face and into my eyes. Removing my hair from my haori, I tie it back with the small piece of rope that Shingo had used to tie it back before. Releasing my hair, I clutched the hilt of Tessaiga, my knuckles turning white from my grip. A small shock shoots through my hand before the sword settles down, recognizing me as its wielder. I walk towards the edge of the cliff that I'm standing on, and stare down into the small valley/crater below me.

I stare at the sight, my eyes taking in everything about my surroundings. There is no plant life, only black, charred ground, rocky walls covered in ash, the scent driving my senses insane. Movement to the side catches my gaze and I look to see a man dressed in extravagant robes approach two women huddled on the ground. One woman moves back at his approach, but the other lay out on the ground, not moving at all. The man only continues his advancement, a whip in one hand and fire in the other. He throws the fire at the woman moving back, but it lands at her feet, just missing her bare toes. He raises the whip and cracks it down upon the still woman. The whip tears at her neck with enough force that it separates the head from her body. Blood spurts out and coats the ground. The other woman screams and jumps up, limping slightly as she runs away from the man. The man stands there, a look of pure pleasure on his face as he laughs at the woman's reaction.

My eyes narrow, my blood surging through my veins at the man's blood lust. Memories of the day Kouga attacked flash through my mind. This man was just like him. He attacked innocents to fill his own desire to see and sense blood, just like how that stupid wolf tried to kill my innocent son just to end his life and try to take Kagome.

"Why don't you attack someone of your own strength demon!" I growl before he could attack the other woman. Anger surges through me, filling my mind with hatred as red seeps into my vision. "Or are you so weak that you have to prey on weak innocent humans to get your kicks?"

The demon stares at me. I knew he couldn't understand, but at least I got his attention. The woman also stares at me for a moment before coming to her senses and begins running towards the stone staircase that appears to lead towards a cavern. The demon also catches her movement and growls, turning his gaze back to me.

"You would do best to stay out of this you dirty-blooded dog." He roars in such an emotionless tone that he could rival Sesshomaru. I stare at the demon only to realize that I understood him perfectly.

"What the hell? You speak Japanese?" I yell down at him, trying to not let my confusion surface.

"After having lived for a few centuries, one meets a few foolish foreigners from time to time. Yet you are the first half breed that has come by in a long time." He says turning to face me. "You have interrupted my games and now you shall pay."

"Oh yeah? Well bring it on bastard, I came here to kill you anyway." I growl back, drawing Tessaiga from its sheath. He gazes at my sword before laughing. I growl and narrow my eyes even more. "What the hell is so funny jackass?!"

He calms down some, but a look of amusement still adorns his face. "Is that the only weapon that you carry with you? An old dog fang? Well, let me show you something that will put that pitiful excuse for a weapon in the dirt."

Suddenly a bright green light erupts from around him as his aura flares violently. His body disappears into a cloud of green smoke, a sort of miasma filling the crater. I shield my nose with my sleeve and stare as his youki begins to grow faster. I gulp, a sudden nervousness running through me.

What if Sesshomaru had been right? What if I can't beat this dragon and I die here? What would happen to Kagome? Would Kiyoshi grow up without a father?

I shake my head, ridding my mind of those kinds of thoughts. Thoughts like those will only make me lose. I will win and return home to my family. I won't let Kiyoshi grow up without a father like I did.

The smoke begins to clear and a dark silhouette shows through. I get into a fighting stance and scowl as he comes into full view. He towers over me, probably a good hundred or more meters high. Green scales cover his face, blue iridescent ones coat the rest of his body, black spines running down his back, and two enormous wings fan out from his back. He smirks, his teeth coated in a faint red. He opens his mouth and a giant ball of fire launches at me. I jump to the side, dodging it easily.

"Damn, you should really do something, that breath is killer." I yell causing him to growl in annoyance.

He throws more fire at me and I continue to dodge, jumping all over the place. I dodge a particularly large fireball and am about to shoot another insult at him when the spiked tip of his tail connects with my side sending me into the crater, sliding across the burned ground and into the rocky wall on the other side. I groan and sit up only to have electricity run up my spine, making me painfully aware of all the abuse my back has been given. I hiss as I stand, trying to push the pain to the back of my mind. I look up at my adversary only to see a red and orange blur rush at me.

I howl as the fire tears into me, somehow making it passed my robes and igniting my skin. The fire dissipates and I slump to the ground, smoke rising from me, the only article of clothing left being my hakama and tattered shreds of my haori and inner kimono.

"Heh, given up already half breed?" the dragon smirked. "I am Li-Long, the most powerful dragon in all of China. It was foolish of you to even think of challenging me."

"Feh, I already said I was going to kill you" I growled as I rose to my feet, tightening my hold on Tessaiga. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

"Oh and how are you planning to do that?"

"By doing this! KAZE NO KIZU!" I swung my blade fast and hard, the wind rushing out of it, swarming with youki.

"What?!" The attack engulfed Li-Long, a scream of pain coming from his big mouth. I smirk but hold Tessaiga ready. That attack didn't even faze Ryokotsusei, so it shouldn't have done anything, just surprise him.

Laughing echoes and I flatten my ears. His monstrous voice is already bad, his laughing is even worse.

"That was amusing to say the least mongrel. However I will thank you for the breeze, it was quite refreshing." He smirks and narrows his eyes at me. He raises his tail and I rush forward to attack him head on. I slash at his legs but none of my slashes pierce the skin. He lowers to attack me with his teeth when I sink Tessaiga into his underbelly. He hisses as the sword sinks in deep, blood pouring from the wound. He rears back and I move to grab Tessaiga when his wings flap. The wind picks up and I'm thrown back, but I twist mid-air landing on my hands and feet, sliding back only a few meters.

"How dare you!" His calm look is gone.

"Oh come on, I thought my little sword couldn't do anything to the great Li-Long?" I yell. "You're just a weak overgrown lizard."

I run at him again, this time doing flips and jumps to dodge his tail and mouth. I run underneath him, grabbing Tessaiga and running it down from the wound making a larger gash in him. Blood pours out and hits me, burning my skin. I take Tessaiga and get away, coughing a little and rubbing my eyes.

"What the fuck?!" I yell as his blood burns like acid on my skin.

"How'd you like the taste of my poison? My blood is filled with that. It will eat away at your skin until it seeps into your blood stream, killing you slowly, allowing you to writhe in agony as it tears you apart from the inside out."

He stalks over to me, lashing his tail out, piercing me through the middle. I cry out as the poison seeps into the wound and the spines on his tail dig into my innards. He lifts me face to face with him and opens his jaws. I clutch Tessaiga and ram it into his eye. He thrashes, his jerking movements causing me to be thrown off his tail. I hit the ground with a sickening thud and darkness ebbs into my vision. My ears twitch, catching the sound of metal hitting the ground to my left. He must've gotten Tessaiga out of his eye.

I hear his loud footsteps as he walks towards me. I will my body to move, but it doesn't heed my thoughts. I try and try to get up when a crushing weight comes down on my arm. I scream as the pain rushes through my body, a thousand times worse than before. The darkness invades further and I'm slightly aware of his youki fading as the scent of that green smoke fills my nose. I choke as I inhale the scent of my own blood and I feel something hot and sticky ooze out of my mouth.

"Are you dying already? How disappointing yet again." I feel his hand wrap around my hair and drag me up off the ground. I hiss at the pain of my hair being pulled from its roots. I force my eyes to open and I glare at him as best I can.

"So you still have some life left in you I see? Well, can't waste that now can we?" I see a blur as his fist crashes into my temple and the black completely surrounds me.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Something cold touches my skin. I shiver as my senses slowly come back to me. My head feels heavy and pain runs throughout my entire body that I just want to lay here forever. Wait am I even lying down? A scent wafts to my nose. I'm not alone? But… I take another sniff. It's a woman, that woman from before. What the…?

I slowly open my eyes and look around me. There's the woman rinsing a rag in a bowl of water. The water is tinged with a deep red… blood. I look around more, noticing I'm in a dark, damp chamber, metal bars over the only opening. A few lit torches hang from the walls lighting the chamber enough to see.

I move my hand to wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth only to find that I can't. I tilt my head to the side, though my neck screams not to move. Metal shackles are attached to each of my wrists and are chained together and then to the wall. I look down towards my feet only to feel pressure on my neck. Something hard and cold goes all the way around my neck. I move my head and hearing metal scrape against metal.

So there's a shackle around my neck too…

I look back at my feet; they too are shackled but only together, not to anything else. I let a sigh escape me, only to hear a startled gasp. I look up to see the woman staring at me, her eyes wide in shock and fear. The wet rag is clutched tightly in her hands as she sits there unmoving.

"What are you staring at? It ain't like I can hurt you." I say my voice a little scratchier than I would've hoped for. Guess all that fire and smoke got to my lungs. My words seem to shake her from her stupor and she lowers the rag back to the water before wringing it out and moving towards me. She raises it to my face and wipes the blood away from my mouth and starts to wipe my cheek.

I blink a few times and stare at her confused.

"Uh hey, what's going on?" I ask as she removes the rag to rinse it again. She looks hesitant to speak.

"P-Please, keep your voice down, or Li-Long will hear that you have awakened." She says. I nod, though the movement makes me feel a little light headed.

"So, what's going on?" I whisper. She moves back with the cloth and begins to wipe the blood from my chest.

"Li-Long knocked you out. He decided since you were strong that you may prove to be entertaining for a while… He had me give you the antidote to his poison and he chained you here. I was told to clean you up and to inform him once you've awakened. He plans to… entertain himself by torturing you… like he did to Keiko…" she whispers.

"That other woman?" I ask and she nods in response. She rinses the rag again and removes one that was placed on my abdomen that I hadn't realized was there. She winces as she looks at my wound and places some herbal paste over it before replacing the cloth. Tears slowly slide down her face and I frown in confusion.

"Why are you crying?" I ask the confusion evident in my voice. She shakes her head and wipes her eyes.

"You remind me so much of my son…" she says sadly. She takes a deep intake of breath before she begins to gather her things.

"Is your son Shingo Ariyoshi?" She whips her head around so fast; it looked like she could've broken her neck. She stares at me, her eyes wide once again. What's with her and that look?

"Y-You know Shingo?" She asks her voice full of worry and some joy.

"Yeah, he gave me a ride over here from Japan. I came to kill that bastard of a dragon and he wanted to come save you. He, Yumi, and Ao came over to Shanghai, but I left them in the village." A look of relief washes over her features and she smiles.

"I'm glad to know that they're alright."

"Yeah, I promised I'd take you back to them. So how about you unchain me, I kill the dragon and we leave this hell hole?"

She frowns and shakes her head. "Sadly, I can't do that. Li-Long is the only one who can break the seal placed on the shackles. If I touch them, we both would be harmed."

"Damnit." I growl out of frustration. "It's just my luck ya know? I come here to kill the thing quickly and end up its damned prisoner. The hell if I'm gonna stand for that."

Growling, I pull at the bonds, ignoring the pain in my limbs from my actions.

"No you mustn't! He'll hear you and then he'll begin his torture!" Ariyoshi-san yells at me.

"I'd rather die than be some asshole dragon's torture toy." I growl and pull harder at the bond. The chains begin to strain under the pressure and I smirk as one cracks. "Yes- AHH!" I scream as lightening shoots through my body, engulfing me with enough energy to leave Sesshomaru on the floor in pain. The energy fades and I slump down, the chains the only things keeping me from collapsing on the floor.

Ariyoshi-san quickly moves to check me. She's speaking, but her words are a jumbled mess as they reach my ears. A loud clunking reaches my ears and I lift my head slightly to see a shadowy figure approach. A deep voice begins to speak, but once again the words are a mass of slurred sounds that don't make any sense to my tired brain. The speaker steps forward and I narrow my eyes at him.

"Woman, move away." He says, words finally forming in my head. Ariyoshi-san hesitates only to be smacked by the whip that Li-Long is carrying. She falls to the side, spilling the bowl of bloodied water onto the floor. She quickly gets up to clean the mess when he speaks again. "Get out woman, go tend to your other duties and you may be lucky enough to get some food tonight."

She nods and leaves, giving me a sad look as she goes. She knows what he's going to do, but can't stop it. And right now, neither can I.

"So, you've finally woken up half-breed?" He drawls as he steps towards me. He places his hand beneath my chin and raises my face to look up at him. I growl and bare my teeth, my eyes narrowed in an icy glare. "Still have life in you, even after all that you've been through? My you are resistant, aren't you?" He says before running his hand down my cheek.

I snarl and whip my head away from his hand, snapping my teeth as he pulls it away. He smirks in amusement and lifts his whip, cracking it against my cheek. I bite my tongue to keep from yelping as my head is tossed to the side from the force of the leather. I feel his hand come up to my abused cheek again. I snarl and bite, just missing his wrist. I feel the whip crack against my other cheek. I growl and glare at him.

He smirks once again and licks the blood from my cheek off his fingers. "Dirty blood always did seem to have a distinct taste that was always desirable. The best of both species I must say."

"Go fuck yourself asshole!" I snarl, growling louder.

"Oh no, my dear half-breed, that's what I have you for." He smiles sadistically at my disgusted look.

"You sick bastard, I'd kill you before you ever got near me."

"Oh now, don't flatter yourself mutt, as if I'd dirty myself like that. I have others who amuse me in that way." He leans forward grabbing my chin again, moving his mouth towards my ear. "But I must say, you are more tempting than any of them."

I growl, slamming my head into his. He steps back, in semi-shock before narrowing his eyes. In a blur he moves towards me, his claws digging into my chest. I hiss as his acid singes the flesh around the newly inflicted wounds. He then raises one hand and smashes my head against the stone wall behind me. He holds it there while I struggle, raising his other hand. He takes one claw and moves it towards my eye.

"If you somehow manage to survive what you are about to be dealt, this will serve as a reminder of what Hell is like. Even if somehow all the other wounds heal, this one will never go away." He whispers in a deadly calm voice. The claw sinks into the flesh above my and I close it as he runs it down to my cheek. I growl and kick, knocking him off of me, only to have the whip lash across my chest. Again and again, it crosses my chest until my front is covered in the crimson liquid.

He advances once again, smirking as he raises his claws.

**1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1**

What felt like hours, but I'm sure was much longer, went by until he finally stopped. My body is numb in pain and I can't move my fingers let alone any other part of me. I feel as though I've been through Hell and back twenty times over. My head aches and my vision is fuzzy. I'm amazed that I haven't passed out yet from the pain. I stare at all the blood pooled on the floor. My blood…

Why haven't I transformed into an insane red-eyed youkai? I move my eyes and catch a glimpse of Tessaiga on the floor beside me, the hilt just barely touching my hip. If I somehow move it, would I transform? To transform means more strength, better speed, senses, and faster healing. But if I transform and kill Li-Long, will I still be stuck as I was and will my whole ordeal have been a waste?

Pain throbs in my head from too many thoughts. Light footsteps reach my ears and the scent of Ariyoshi-san reaches my nose over all my blood. I hear her gasp and her footsteps rush towards me. I smell tears and mentally sigh. I see the rag and her hand touch my cheek, but I don't feel it. The pain has completely numbed me… all I can do is hear, see, and smell and even those aren't functioning properly…

"You poor boy…" I hear her whisper as she tries desperately to wipe the blood off of me. She tries to wipe the dried blood away from the wound over my eye when I hiss in pain at the rag brushing over it. Guess I have feeling somewhere.

"S-Sorry…" she says and immediately pulls the rag away. She waits a moment as if unsure of what to do.

"A…Ariyoshi-san…" I try speaking… I have an idea if only my voice will hold out. I hear her gasp, my voice sounding hoarse and quiet. "P-Please… move… sword…" My voice gives out and I gasp for breath, breathing only causing pain to my abused lungs.

A minute goes by, my strangled breathing being the only sound and I mentally sigh. She probably didn't understand a word I said…

"O-Ok…" she whispers and I watch out of the corner of my eye and she grasps Tessaiga and pulls it towards her. She stares at me and I can feel my blood burn as my youkai blood dominates even more. My blood surges through my veins and I can feel the numbness go away and be replaced with heated pain as my youkai blood tries to heal my wounds and revive my youki. Red bleeds into my vision.

"When… my wounds… heal… give… it back…" I say and see her nod. I smile faintly and close my eyes, allowing my youkai to take almost complete control. Power and blood course through my veins, my wounds slowly but surely closing up. I struggle to keep somewhat sane as my healing continues.

My strength begins to return and with my still sane mind, I tug at the bindings around my arms. The spell ignites to life again only to be overpowered by my growing youki. The chains strain under the stress and suddenly break, causing me to lurch forward, only to be stopped by the shackle still clinging to my neck. I reach up with my clawed hands and break the shackle no problem before slicing through the chain keeping the shackles on my feet connected. I remain sitting, my aura flaring as my youki almost fully recovers.

Strength runs through me and I feel better than I ever have. My aura dies down and I check my wounds, seeing that all of them have healed, but they've left scars. I touch the one over my eye and wince. It's the worst scar and probably true to what Li-Long said, it won't heal easily.

I turn my red gaze to Ariyoshi-san, huddled against the wall, clutching Tessaiga. Her eyes are staring, and fear radiates off her being. I shake my head slightly and reach my hand out towards her. She looks at it hesitantly before standing and placing Tessaiga in it. I close my fist and feel the shock as it calms my youkai, as I revert back to somewhere between hanyou and youkai. I look at Ariyoshi-san now with golden eyes and smile.

"Thank you." I say and she nods, still somewhat shocked. I stretch when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look down at Ariyoshi-san and she smiles.

"I believe that this is also yours." She says pulling my haori out from a small bag at her side. I take the haori and stare as it slowly continues to mend itself completely. I slip it back on and my inner kimono starts to mend itself now that I have my haori back on.

"Time to go kill a dragon." I say and move towards the hall. Ariyoshi-san follows behind me as we move stealthily down the corridor. I follow my nose, picking up the retched scent of Li-Long coming from a chamber near the outside door.

"You go straight out those doors and get up to the cliffs. If there isn't any fire, go to the nearest ledge and get down without killing yourself. Wait there for me." I whisper and she nods. We walk down the hall and she leaves out the doors. I draw Tessaiga and stand before the door where Li-Long's scent is. Once I don't hear Ariyoshi-san's footsteps, I jump through the door and attack.

"What? How did you get free?" Li-Long yells as he draws his own sword to fight me. Our swords clash and I sweep mine down, knocking his away and allowing me to slash him across the chest. He hisses and lunges at me, my blocks meeting all of his attacks.

He swings his sword and I back flip, hitting him with my feet before landing and springing forward, running Tessaiga right through his stomach. He gasps in pain and I rip Tessaiga from his body, before landing a punch on his right cheek. He falls to the ground.

"What's a matter Li-Long? Have you grown so weak as to get you ass beat by a half-breed?" I taunt, staying in my stance. Debris gets shoved aside as he rises, a thoroughly pissed off look on his face. I smirk and narrow my eyes. "Bring it on asshole, your wasting my time just standing there."

His eyes glow green as he lunges at me in a fit of rage. I easily dodge his attacks, ducking, flipping, jumping. I smirk and bring my foot down on his back before doing a front flip, and twisting to face him once I land. He rises and glares at me with hate filled eyes.

"Am I pissing you off?" I smirk. Suddenly he's gone in a blur and his fist connects with my stomach, sending me back into a wall.

"Don't think you can beat me easily half-breed." He says raising his sword. I rise, wiping a bit of dirt from my face.

"And don't you think that I won't beat your ass, because you're as good as dead dragon." He snarls and I lunge at him head on, moving last second to hit him in the side with Tessaiga. The fang effectively sinks into his flesh drawing blood that I dodge before it spurts at me.

"You seem to have gotten a little smarter than last time mutt." He growls and clashes his sword against mine.

"You seem to have gotten slower than last time old man." I retort back throwing his sword away. He glares down Tessaiga, which is right against his neck, down at me. "Time's up bastard."

I lunge Tessaiga upward disconnecting his head from his body, both fall limply to the ground, blood spurting from the severed parts. I step back, careful not to let it touch me. I bring Tessaiga up, to finish off the asshole once and for all.

Suddenly a searing pain hits my side and I growl at the spike embedded in my side. I glare at the fallen body, the arm outstretched from when it had thrown the spike as I cut of the head. I raise Tessaiga again and bring it down against the ground.

"Kaze no Kizu!" I yell as the wind rushes at the remaining pieces of the dragon, blasting it into tiny particles. I green mist rises as Kaze no Kizu fades and I step back as it surrounds me. I choke as it fills my lungs and I can feel my power slowly fading. I fall to my hands and knees, coughing as the mist dissipates. Catching my breath, I sit up and run my claws through my hair only to notice that they're shorter than they were. My eyes widen and I run over to a small mirror on the wall that is still intact even after my attack.

I stare at my reflection. No more stripes or red tinge in my eyes and my fangs are normal. I smile in relief until I see the scar still over my eye. I frown and run my finger gently over it. I wince at the slight pain and frown. Kagome isn't going to like that…

My eyes widen at the thought of her. I have to get back to her.

I run out of the ruined building and jump up to the cliff. The fire is gone and I sniff the air, trying to locate Ariyoshi-san. I find her sitting on a cliff, looking over the land below. I jump down landing beside her, startling her.

"You alright?" I ask as she regains her wits and stands up.

"Yes, I'm fine, shall we g-" She begins but is interrupted by a yell.

"MOM! INUYASHA!" We both look at the owner of the voice to see Yumi and Shingo riding a falcon youkai towards us. We move to the side and the youkai lands as both siblings rush at their mother, hugging her tightly. Shingo releases her first and turns to me.

"Thank you for saving our mother." He says bowing. "If there is anything more that we can do, just ask."

"Well, actually, I need to get back to Japan as soon as possible, so could you give me another ride on your boat?" I ask. I want to get back to Kagome, every part of me, yells for me to be with her. I need to get back to her.

I look at Shingo as he bows his head low. I open my mouth to speak but Yumi cuts me off.

"Inuyasha… you were gone for a month… we left a week after you did, and it took us at least three to get here by flying…"

"So?"

"So…" She looks at me sadly. "It's the storm season. No ships will leave for Japan for another seven months, and even then most ships will need repairs, so it will take awhile before anyone can even think about going to Japan."

My heart cracks as her words sink in. That long? After all this, now I have to wait here, in a foreign country before I can even start planning to return home. My mind shuts down, my soul fades in pain.

"Come along Inuyasha, we'll get you back as soon as we can." Ariyoshi-san says as Yumi and Shingo climb onto the falcon. I nod slowly, not trusting my voice to speak. I help Ariyoshi-san up and then follow them by foot as we head back towards Shanghai to wait out the storm season.

My thoughts take off, leaving me with more heartache as my heart breaks more and more. I feel alone, sad. Why do I have to wait so long to see you Kagome? I stare up as the sky starts to darken and I see the falcon land so that the group can stop for the night. I take my time walking to meet them, the pain inside me digging in too deeply…

I'm broken…

**2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2**

_Ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, nana, hachi, kyu, jyu, jyu ichi, jyu ni… _1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12…

Well that's it. See ya next time!

**Please Review!**

_Ja ne!_


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